Reset
by CurvyPragmatist
Summary: Following the breaking of the curse everyone in Storybrooke is finding their happy ending, with one exception. Resigning herself to having lost Henry's love and respect forever, Regina decides there is only one path available to her.
1. Chapter 1

So, I'm back with another SwanQueen story for you all. As per my previous stories there will be a lot of angst but this time for Emma rather than Regina (I'm giving her a break!) and it will be a very slow burn romance for our two leading ladies. As always if you want to follow me, message me, send me prompts or generally say hello please head to Tumblr, curvypragmatist. tumblr. com (removing those pesky spaces!)

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><p>There were two distinctive, similar sounds that Emma dreaded hearing when she was at work. One was the sound of Regina Mills' heels clicking and the other was the occasional clack of Mister Gold's cane as either one approached her office. Emma was convinced that they had set put their differences aside if only to coordinate their diaries to ensure that one or the other was disrupting Emma's day with some ridiculous business.<p>

Today it seemed to be Mister Gold's turn and Emma looked up from her desk as the man walked into the main office and turned to see Emma in her office. He was holding a manila folder in one hand and leaning on his cane with the other, "Sheriff Swan, you're very hard to get hold of," he commented with a greasy smile.

Truth be told Emma had been avoiding Gold, she'd seen him a few times lately and just as he looked like he was going to approach her she had managed to dodge him. Clearly he'd decided to bring his issue to her door so she put her pen down and indicated the chair in front of her desk with a nod of her head.

"Thank you," he said with a smile as he sat down and placed the folder on the desk in front of him.

"Well?" Emma asked with a sigh. She was in no mood to play any games, since the curse had been lifted five months ago she had gone out of her way to have as little to do with the man as possible. She knew he was responsible for bringing magic to Storybrooke and she also knew he had sent the wraith after Regina, to her mind that was enough to steer clear of the man.

"Right down to business," Gold grinned, "I like that in a person. If you ever get bored of law enforcement.."

"Gold," Emma interrupted in a low, warning voice.

"Of course," he said as if suddenly remembering his business with her. She hated the genial façade he would display, it usually meant he was planning something.

"As you will know," Gold began, "I am the closest thing Storybrooke has to a lawyer. My.. understanding of contracts has been contracted to engage in a spot of business with you, Sheriff."

"With me?" Emma frowned, "I don't have anything to sell.."

"Ah, this isn't a contract of sale, Miss Swan," Gold smiled as he tapped the folder lightly with his finger, "this is.. more of bequest."

"Bequest?" Emma asked, "has someone died?"

"Not exactly," Gold said with a smirk as he opened the folder to reveal a stack of official documents. He picked up the covering piece of paper and turned it to face Emma and laid it in front of her on the desk.

Emma looked down at the document, she could see her name, Henry's name and Regina's name. It had been signed by Regina and witnessed by Gold. There was another space for Emma's signature.

"What is this?" Emma asked with irritation.

"I believe it's rather clear, Sheriff," Gold frowned as he leaned forward and run his finger across the top line of the document and read aloud, "Adoption dissolution."

Emma's heart began to pound loudly in her chest as a number of terrifying thoughts ran through her mind, "cut the crap, what is this? Explain it! Now!"

Gold looked put out by her outburst but she knew it was all part of the butter-wouldn't-melt act that he liked to play.

"Regina is absolving her rights towards Henry, she is undoing the adoption and placing him, legally, in your care," Gold explained.

Emma picked up the paper in shaky hands and read the first few lines which, although in legal language that made little sense to her, seemed to corroborate what he was claiming.

"Henry will be your son. Regina will have no legal right to see him, in fact she stipulates that she doesn't wish to see him," Gold continued.

"Why.." Emma breathed and looked up at Gold with a fierce glare, "why would she do this? What is she planning?"

Gold leaned back in his chair and shrugged, "I am merely in charge of the creation, delivery and witnessing of the documentation."

Emma slammed the piece of paper back onto the folder, "I'm not signing anything, this is some kind of twisted game."

"I did rather suspect that you would think so," Gold nodded, "Edith Monroe has some legal experience, as does Katherine Nolan and I believe Widow Lucas would also be able to assist you. I suggest you speak with someone else to confirm the validity of these documents, including the timescale requirements."

"What requirements?" Emma hissed at him.

"Regina feels she is in an unsustainable situation and would like this matter resolved sooner rather than later, to this end she wishes for these documents to be signed and acted upon within the next twenty eight days. Unless, of course, you wish to negotiate the terms of the agreement," Gold sighed as if the whole conversation was boring him.

Gold may well have been bored but Emma's brain was doing somersaults, "what happens in twenty eight days if I don't sign?"

"Then Henry will be put into care," Gold said simply, "Regina will dissolve the adoption one way or another."

Emma's mouth fell open and she stared at Gold in utter shock.

"She has proposed a generous settlement figure, a little too generous if you ask me," Gold sniffed as he sought out another sheet of paper and handed that to Emma.

Emma held the paper and looked at it but nothing was registering in her mind. She had drawn a blank.

"The two hundred thousand dollars will be paid to you in monthly increments until Henry is eighteen years of age," Gold explained, "the remainder of the money is for further education."

"Why is she doing this?" Emma whispered as the piece of paper in her hand shook.

"It is my understanding that Regina has not seen the boy since her curse was broken," Gold said, "over twenty weeks ago, nearly half a year."

"But.." Emma stuttered, "but.. she, she loves him, I know she does.."

"Adoption dissolution doesn't mean she doesn't care for the boy," Gold pointed out, "maybe she is just giving him his best chance?"

Gold stood up, "I will leave these documents with you, Sheriff, I suggest you look over them in depth at your own leisure. Contact me when you are ready to sign them, or if you wish to amend anything within the contract."

Gold looked down at the blonde haired Sheriff who was still staring at the papers in shock. He sighed.

"I'll see myself out," he said and clacked his cane along the hard floor of the corridor on his way out.

Emma didn't know if it had been thirty seconds after he left or thirty minutes when she actually returned to her senses and grabbed the folder from the other side of the desk and started to flip through the different pieces of paper. She tried to read the lengthy legal papers but she was too frantic to take it in and kept staring at the words "adoption dissolution".

She quickly gathered up the papers and put them inside the folder and grabbed her brown leather jacket from the back of her chair and quickly rushed out of the office. A few moments later Emma was sprinting up the street towards the diner, on the way a few people greeted her happily but she ignored them as she raced into the building.

"Hey," Ruby said as she saw Emma enter the diner, "everything okay?"

"Where's Granny?" Emma panted as she looked around the restaurant for the older woman.

"She's in the office by the bed and breakfast reception," Ruby answered and Emma quickly made her way past chairs and tables to cross through to the bed and breakfast side of the business. As she got to the reception desk she called out for the older woman.

Granny emerged from the office with her glasses in her hand, "Emma? Is everything okay, Child?"

Emma held the folder out with shaky hands, "Gold said you have some experience of legal documents? Contracts?"

Granny nodded and took the folder and raised her arm to gesture for Emma to go into the small office. Ruby had ran after Emma to see what was happening and arrived in the reception area and shared a concerned expression with Granny.

"Get us some tea, Ruby," Granny asked and walked into the office.

The office was as stuck in time as the rest of the bed and breakfast, if parts of Storybrooke were stuck in the eighties then Granny's was stuck in the sixties. The small office had a small rickety wooden desk with a worn wooden desk chair behind it and a small sofa against the wall. Papers were stacked high on the desk and Granny sat down on the office chair and made some space as she placed the folder down.

"Sit down there," Granny pointed to the sofa.

Emma was pacing in the tiny room and was about to argue but the look Granny gave her had her instantly taking a seat.

Granny placed her round, wireframe glasses on her face and opened the folder and started reading the covering page. Her eyebrows shot up, "oh my," she whispered and looked over the top of her glasses to Emma and then back to the papers again.

Emma remained silent as Granny slowly read the papers pausing only when Ruby arrived with a tray for tea. The lanky brunette held the tray with one hand as she pulled a small side table over to the sofa and placed the tray down and started making tea for the three of them. Ruby found a small amount of space for Granny's teacup on the desk and then handed one to Emma and gave her a comforting smile which Emma found hard to return.

They all sat in silence until Granny finally closed the folder and removed her glasses and took a sip of tea before looking at Emma as she held the teacup in her hands, "I take it this was a surprise to you?"

Emma nodded, "Gold.. just.. presented me with them. He said I should speak with someone independent.. is.. is it what he says it is?"

Granny leaned back in her chair and took another sip of tea, "Regina is relinquishing her rights as Henry's adoptive mother. She wishes for you to have full legal responsibility for him. And she's paying you handsomely to do that," Granny added with a nod.

"Regina's giving up Henry?" Ruby asked with a confused tone, "why would she do that?"

"Exactly," Emma nodded.

"Well, I'll have to read everything again to be absolutely sure," Granny replied, "but I can't see any loopholes, this is a very permanent arrangement with no requirements on your side. She is giving you parental rights and the money."

"Regina loves Henry," Ruby pointed out, "he is her life!"

"Gold said that Regina thinks she is in an unsustainable situation," Emma said, "she hasn't seen him properly since the curse broke."

"She saw him in here the other week," Ruby argued.

"In passing," Granny observed, "she's used to having him live with her and she's not seen him properly for, what, five months?"

Emma nodded, "he doesn't want anything to do with her, I haven't exactly tried to change his mind.."

"What's she doing these days anyway?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Emma admitted, "she's not been the Mayor since the curse broke, she's been consulting with Archie on things since he took over though. But that's not full time.. I don't know what she does all day."

"A family house without a family is a lonely place," Granny sighed.

When the two younger women looked up at her she added, "not that the Evil Queen deserves any less, it's just an observation. She has a lot of time to think about things, maybe she's gone mad?"

"She must be to be giving Henry up," Ruby nodded firmly.

"I need to talk to her," Emma said as she put the teacup back in the tray.

"I'll have another read of this contract, I'll see if I can see anything buried in the fine print," Granny smiled.

"Thanks," Emma nodded to the older woman and then to Ruby as she left the office.


	2. Chapter 2

So, I'm back with another SwanQueen story for you all. As per my previous stories there will be a lot of angst but this time for Emma rather than Regina (I'm giving her a break!) and it will be a very slow burn romance for our two leading ladies. As always if you want to follow me, message me, send me prompts or generally say hello please head to Tumblr, curvypragmatist. tumblr. com (removing those pesky spaces!)

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><p>Emma hammered on the white door of 108 Mifflin Street and glanced over at the black Mercedes in the drive way, which indicated that the owner of the house was indeed home.<p>

The door opened and Regina stood before her in a fitted red dress with a grey suit jacket and high heels, Emma briefly wondered if Regina had ever stopped dressing for her previous Mayoral role.

"Miss Swan," Regina greeted wearily, "to what do I owe this pleasure."

"Cut the shit, Regina," Emma ranted.

Regina raised her eyebrow in surprise at the coarse language but didn't bother to call the blonde out on it.

"Gold delivered the contract," Regina surmised.

"Ya think?!" Emma cried out.

"You're upset," Regina observed, "maybe we should discuss this when you are less.. volatile.."

Regina appeared to prepare to take a step back and Emma put the heel of her boot in the door, "no, we're talking about this now!"

Regina looked down at the boot in her doorway with obvious humour and looked up at Emma with a smile, "can I get you some tea then?"

"No!" Emma shouted, "I don't want any damn tea!"

"Am I to assume you wish to engage in this conversation on my porch?" Regina folded her arms in displeasure.

"What the hell is going on?" Emma demanded.

Regina maintained her folded arms as she glared at Emma, "I would have thought that much is obvious."

"You're giving up Henry.." Emma breathed.

"I'm giving you what you want," Regina said, her tone becoming slightly more aggravated than the casual appearance she was attempting to convey.

"What I want?!" Emma questioned angrily.

Regina took a step forward, causing Emma to remove her boot from the door. Regina was right in Emma's face as she explained, "ever since you got here you have been trying to take Henry from me. Then you broke the curse and you managed to do just that."

"I haven't taken Henry away from you, you did that all by yourself!" Emma argued.

"Excuse me if I pass up the opportunity to assassinate my own character," Regina sneered, "the bottom line is that Henry no longer sees me as his mother. Tomorrow will mark the one hundred and fifty day since I last spoke with him. I know now that he will not be able to see beyond my past so I am letting him go."

"This is insane," Emma shook her head.

"No, it's the situation you constructed yourself!" Regina argued, "just sign the damn paperwork, take him and go and live your happy families life with the two idiots."

"So this is real?" Emma blurted, "you really want me to have him?"

"I wouldn't make such a decision about my son's future so lightly," Regina barked but before Emma could reply the brunette laughed a hollow laugh, "my son.. that will be a hard habit to break."

"We don't need to do this, Regina," Emma pleaded, "we can sort this out.."

"No," Regina cut her off, "this is how it has to be. It will be better for Henry.. and better for me."

"Regina.." Emma pleaded.

"Sign the papers, Emma," Regina said dejectedly, "claim your prize."

Before Emma had a chance to reply Regina had stepped back into the house and slammed the door closed in Emma's face. Emma stared at the door for a few moments before shaking her head and turning around and walking back down the pathway and into Mifflin Street. She turned away from the direction of the main street and began walking around the residential areas of Storybrooke's prosperous neighbourhoods in the hope that she wouldn't bump into anyone.

When Gold had presented the papers she was convinced it was some kind of a trap but now she started to scan her memory she couldn't remember the last time Regina and Henry had spoken. Or even the last time Henry had been civil to Regina. He always ignored her, did whatever he could to avoid her, refused to go and see her or return her numerous phone calls. But then Emma had done nothing to attempt to bridge the gap between them, it suited her that Henry wanted nothing to do with the brunette. No more arguments about his eating habits, bedtime, school work or hair length.

To be honest it hadn't even occurred to Emma how Regina must have been feeling during that time. Emma recalled the time that Regina had forbidden the two of them to have any contact, she had been distraught and pestered Mary Margaret for any news of him. Regina had no such connection, no way of gathering news on Henry's wellbeing.

And now she was giving Henry up, throwing him away like a bored child sick of a toy. Emma felt a sickness rising up within her, the horrible feeling of abandonment that had followed her throughout her life. She allowed a tear to fall from her eye as she wondered how she would break this news to Henry, he'd be devastated.

"Emma!"

She turned around to see David's pickup truck following her up the road with her father calling her name out of the window.

Emma rubbed the tears from her eyes and approached the truck, "hi.."

"Hey," he said with a grim smile, "Ruby called me, she said you might need some company?"

Emma gave him a sad smile and nodded as she climbed into the passenger seat of the truck, "she told you?"

"Regina is giving you custody of Henry?" David nodded, he could tell that Emma was obviously upset but he didn't seem to understand why, "isn't that good news?"

Emma gave a half-hearted laugh, "not really.."

David was obviously trying, and failing, to understand, "wanna talk about it?"

"She's.. she's abandoning Henry," Emma sniffed, "he's gonna be crushed!"

David got his fabric handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and handed it to his daughter, "will he? He hasn't given us an indication that he wants to see her.."

Emma took the handkerchief and drabbed at her eyes, "he might not understand it straight away but when he does.. when he realises that she's let him go.. he'll find it hard."

"Then we'll be strong for him," David said resolutely and put his hand on Emma's shoulder with a reassuring squeeze, "he has a family who loves him."


	3. Chapter 3

So, I'm back with another SwanQueen story for you all. As per my previous stories there will be a lot of angst but this time for Emma rather than Regina (I'm giving her a break!) and it will be a very slow burn romance for our two leading ladies. As always if you want to follow me, message me, send me prompts or generally say hello please head to Tumblr, curvypragmatist. tumblr. com (removing those pesky spaces!)

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><p>"How do we know it's not a trick?" Mary Margaret asked as she busied herself around the kitchen making tea for the assembled guests in her small apartment.<p>

"What kind of trick?" David asked his wife as he leaned on the opposite wall with his arms folded across his chest.

"Exactly!" Mary Margaret pointed a teaspoon at her husband, "Regina's always three steps ahead of us!"

"I've read this contract three times, so has Edith from Marlow's Accounting," Granny said as she tapped her finger on the manila folder that sat centre stage on the dining room table, "we can't see anything out of the ordinary."

"Maybe it's a trick to force you to get Henry to see her, maybe she's bluffing?" Ruby suggested to Emma.

"It's a dangerous bluff, I could just sign the contract and that takes away all her power," Emma pointed out with a shrug.

"You spoke to her," Mary Margaret said, "how did she seem?"

"I dunno," Emma admitted with a sigh, "she tried to act like it didn't bother her, she got a bit upset.. I don't know. I don't think she's up to anything, I really don't. I think she honestly believes this is best for Henry."

"There was one thing in the small print," Granny said as she flipped the folder opened and looked for a paragraph, "here, it states very clearly that she doesn't want any formal arrangement regarding visiting Henry."

Mary Margaret placed a tray on the table and looked at the paragraph that Granny pointed to, "why would she do that?"

"I don't know," Granny admitted, "she's not averse to seeing him in general but she doesn't want to be a part of his care, it's odd."

"She's cutting herself off from him," Emma said grimly.

"What's this?" Mary Margaret asked as she pointed to another clause in the fine print.

"Oh, yes," Granny grinned, "that's typical Regina, she states that Emma cannot make a claim on any other child within Storybrooke limits unless she has physically given birth to it!"

"Is she planning to steal someone else's kid?" Ruby asked with a shudder.

"No," Mary Margaret whispered, "she wants someone to love her, it's all she's ever really wanted."

"Sounds like Regina's bitterness to me," David pointed out.

Mary Margaret served tea to everyone and looked up at Emma, "so, what are you going to do?"

"I need to talk to Henry," Emma replied solemnly, "but I think I have to sign it, she's left me without an option."

"It's for the best, I'm sure of it," David said softly, "being out of Regina's grip will be good for both Henry and you."

Emma nodded, "when will Henry be back from the stables?"

Mary Margaret looked at her watch, "about half an hour."

Emma nodded and tuned out the rest of the conversation as she planned exactly what she would say to Henry. It was the first time she had had to have a difficult conversation with her son but it was the one she was dreading the most. She had no idea how he would take the news and even if he would understand it fully, even though he was undoubtedly bright he was still only ten, nearly eleven.

She briefly wondered, for the hundredth time, if this was Regina's way of making her fail, if this was some elaborate test. If she was attempting to show Emma what a bad mother she was, hoping to force Emma's hand and send her packing. As she considered it she felt her anger growing, how dare Regina cast Henry aside and how dare she assume Emma wouldn't be a fit mother.

Emma stood up and grabbed the contracts and her car keys and walked out of the apartment, ignoring her parents calling after her. She ran downstairs and got into her beloved yellow Bug, she threw the contract onto the passenger seat and started driving to the stables.

A short time later she arrived and could see Henry watching one of the other students from the safety fence and called over to him. He turned and smiled when he saw her, "Mom," he shouted and ran over to greet her.

"Hey, Kid," Emma forced a smile onto her face.

"What's wrong?" Henry frowned.

Emma smiled genuinely at him, "how do you know?"

"Your face is doing that thing," Henry said with a shrug.

Emma decided not to dwell on what her face was doing and got straight to the point, "Henry, I have some news.. there's no easy way to say this so I'm just gonna come out and say it, okay?"

Henry nodded and looked anxiously.

"Your Mom.." Emma started.

"Regina," Henry corrected.

"Regina," Emma nodded, "she's.. well.."

"Is she dead?" Henry asked with wide eyes.

"What? No!" Emma replied quickly, "nothing like that.. she's fine.. well.."

"Emma, you're scaring me," Henry fretted.

Emma took a deep breath and crouched down on one knee and looked Henry in the eye, "Henry, she's undoing the adoption, she wants me to be your legal guardian."

Henry processed this for a moment before frowning, "so, you'll be like my real Mom?"

"I'll be your only Mom, Regina won't be a part of your family," Emma emphasised.

Henry beamed, "so we'll be like a real family? Just you and me?"

"Well," Emma hesitated, "yeah.."

She was cut off by Henry throwing his arms around her neck and nearly pushing them both onto the muddy ground, "that's awesome!"

Emma grimaced as she wrapped her arms around the young boy, "are you sure, Henry?"

Henry leaned back, "you wanna be my Mom, right?"

Emma pulled him back into a hug and quickly replied, "yes, more than anything.. I just thought you might be upset, you know, about Regina.."

"Why?" Henry frowned as she released him from the hug, "I told you, she's not my real Mom. She's the Evil Queen.."

Emma bit her lip as she worked out her phrasing, "I know, Henry.. but she was still your Mom. She raised you for ten years, there's a lot of history there."

Henry shrugged and Emma stood up and put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed, "it's a lot to take in," she told him, "you may feel this way now but later you might feel differently. And if you do I want you to promise that you'll talk to me, okay?"

Henry looked up at her and nodded and she pulled him into her side and hugged him, "I love you, Henry."

"I love you too," Henry smiled but then he frowned as he looked up at her again, "what if this is an evil plan?"

"We did think about that," Emma admitted, "but it doesn't look like it is."

"We should keep her under observation," Henry nodded, "we need to start up Operation Cobra again!"

Emma looked pensively over at the horses trotting around the yard, "maybe, Kid.. we'll talk about it later tonight, okay?"

"Cool," Henry smiled, "I better go and help tidy everything away, are you going to drive me home?"

"Sure," Emma smiled, "I'll be in the car."

Henry ran back to the rest of the teaching group and Emma trudged back to the car and sat down and watched Henry and the other kids for a while before her eyes were drawn to the paperwork on the seat beside her.

Before she had a chance to look at the paperwork again her mobile phone rang and she checked the display to see that it was Mary Margaret. She grimaced as she answered, "hi.. sorry for running out like that.."

"That's okay, Sweetie," Mary Margaret replied quickly, "how is he?"

Emma looked towards Henry, "surprisingly good."

"It will take a while for him to understand fully," Mary Margaret commented.

"That's what I'm afraid of.." Emma sighed, "he wants to start up Operation Cobra again, to check if Regina is up to anything."

Mary Margaret paused for a moment, "unless.. unless he is using Operation Cobra as an excuse to be closer to Regina?"

Emma looked at Henry and silently considered that for a moment, "maybe," she shifted in her seat, "you might be right, should I encourage him?"

Mary Margaret let out a breath, "I don't know.. it's hard to know what's for the best.. Does Regina know about Henry's birthday party at Granny's next week?"

"Yeah, she asked about his birthday a couple of weeks ago so I told her, I also posted her an invite," Emma replied with a sigh.

"Well," Mary Margaret said with some forced cheer, "being in the same room should do them both good."

Emma nodded despite knowing Mary Margaret couldn't see her, "yes, whatever the situation is legally, she still deserves a place in Henry's life."

"Yes, she does," Mary Margaret agreed steadfastly.

Emma let out a small chuckle, "are you defending Regina's rights?"

Mary Margaret laughed lightly, "I suppose I am.. don't forget that Regina was kinda my Mom too.."

"That just makes my head hurt," Emma admitted.

"Even when she really wanted to hate me, she could still be a good Mom to me.." Mary Margaret puzzled, "I never really understood why.."

"Why did she never have children?" Emma asked, "in the Enchanted Forest, I mean, surely your father wanted more children?"

"I was very young but I think she was pronounced infertile by the Royal doctor," Mary Margaret replied softly.

Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I see.."

Henry was returning to the car and Emma smiled at him and picked up the paperwork from the front seat and shoved the documents in the glove box, "I have to go, Henry is here, can you watch him this evening while I go to see Gold?"

"Sure," Mary Margaret agreed, "we'll see you soon."


	4. Chapter 4

So, I'm back with another SwanQueen story for you all. As per my previous stories there will be a lot of angst but this time for Emma rather than Regina (I'm giving her a break!) and it will be a very slow burn romance for our two leading ladies. As always if you want to follow me, message me, send me prompts or generally say hello please head to Tumblr, curvypragmatist. tumblr. com (removing those pesky spaces!)

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><p>Emma walked into Gold's pawnbroker shop and took a deep breath as she closed the door behind her. The shop was empty of people and Emma took the opportunity to look at all the items the man had amassed and wondered, not for the first time, where Gold had procured everything from and who the rightful owners were.<p>

"Sheriff," Gold greeted as he walked into the shop from the back room.

"I'm ready to sign," Emma said and held up the folder of papers.

"Did you seek independent counsel?" Gold asked as he picked up a leather box from behind the counter and placed it on the glass countertop.

"Yes," Emma said as she walked forward and put the folder down on the glass.

"And do you have any questions? Any amendments you wish to be made?" Gold asked as he opened the box and slowly started to unpack various notarising equipment.

"Nope," Emma countered quickly.

"You understand that this will be a legally binding document, you have read and understood all of the documents?" Gold pressed as he picked up a notary stamp and began to stamp the various documents.

"As much as I can understand," Emma said with a shrug, "Regina is giving the kid up. What I don't understand is your involvement in this."

Gold smiled that creepy grin that Emma hated so much, "I owe her."

Emma raised her eyebrow and laughed, "you owe her?"

"Yes, we have a.. long history," Gold evaded, "we have a deal, this is part of it."

"And the rest of it?" Emma pressed.

"Is between Regina and myself," Gold said as he held out a silver fountain pen towards Emma.

Emma held his gaze for a few moments before grabbing the pen and signing her name several times where Gold indicated. When she was done he countersigned the documents and stamped a couple before handing a copy to Emma, "this is for you, the official documents will be sent to you in due course."

"So that's it?" Emma asked.

"That is it," Gold confirmed, "you are now Henry's only legal guardian. Congratulations, Miss Swan."

"Thanks," Emma mumbled and turned around to leave the shop.

"If I can be of any further assistance, with the change of name for example, don't hesitate to contact me," Gold called after her.

Emma turned around, "change of name?"

"Well," Gold chuckled as he started to pack away the notary items, "he can't very well be Henry Mills now, can he? Henry Swan, very fitting."

Emma nodded blankly, "yeah.. I'll.. I'll er, let you know.." she answered as she rushed out of the shop.

Mister Gold placed the leather box back where it had come from and gathered up all the papers and placed them back into the manila folder and limped back into the room at the rear of the shop. He placed the folder a small table, "there you go, Dearie."

Regina sat stiffly in a leather wingback chair holding a teacup and saucer and looked at the folder with disdain, "she signed them?"

"Of course," Gold replied with a nod as he approached a workbench with an open aluminium briefcase on top of it.

Regina took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Having regrets?" Gold asked her as he looked started to pour a dark silver liquid into small vials.

"No, of course not," Regina bristled, "at least I won't once you've done your part."

Gold paused mid-pour and looked up at Regina, "which I am doing right now," he protested.

Regina took a sip of her tea and looked away from him.

"You know, it would just be easier to forget the boy entirely, then you'd be able to create the potion yourself," Gold commented with a sigh.

"I don't want to forget him, just.." Regina searched for the right word, "dim.. my feelings for him."

"It's a fine line, Dearie," Gold commented as he continued to pour the potion into the vials.

"Yes, one you clearly misjudged before, that initial swill you gave me had very little effect," Regina snapped.

"It should have been enough," Gold pointed out, "but this will do the job, I have doubled the dose so your feelings shall be suitably.. diminished."

Regina nodded regally, "and the other matter?"

"In hand, you may want to prepare.. whatever it is you need to prepare.." Gold shrugged as he lowered the larger bottle and began putting stoppers into the vials and placing them in the aluminium briefcase.

"It's all in hand," Regina whispered as she sipped some more tea.

Gold nodded and closed the lid of the briefcase and locked it, "one potion a day, no more," he explained, "or you really might forget him entirely."

Regina placed her teacup and saucer down on the table and stood up and approached the workbench and held out her hand to take the briefcase. Gold held it slightly away from her, "if you feel it's not working then come back to me, don't take two."

Regina reached forward and snatched the case, "of course, I'm not a fool!"

Gold nodded and indicated the paperwork with his eyes, "do you want your copy now?"

Regina looked at the folder with contempt, "do what you wish with it," she sneered as she left via the back door.


	5. Chapter 5

Trying to keep a secret from Henry was usually impossible, especially when you were entrusting a secret to a group of fairy tale characters. However Henry was so preoccupied by Operation Cobra that Emma and Mary Margaret had had plenty of time to arrange for Henry's surprise birthday party at Granny's diner.

On the morning of his birthday the Charming's had given him his birthday cards and presents from them and then packed him off to school, promising him that Mary Margaret would cook a special stew for him that evening. Henry hated stew but he smiled gratefully as he waved goodbye and made his way towards the school bus.

Emma had spent most of the afternoon setting up a superhero birthday party in Granny's with Ruby and David. Henry still didn't have that many friends and therefore it had been decided to invite the whole town to completely fill out the diner.

"Have you heard from Regina?" David asked as he stood on top of a ladder to hang a bespoke printed birthday banner with Henry's name and the faces of his favourite superheroes.

Emma shook her head, "no, not seen her, I went to the house a couple of times but she was out."

"I saw her a couple of times yesterday," Ruby said.

"How did she seem?" Emma asked.

Ruby shrugged, "like Regina.."

"Gee, thanks, Ruby," Emma laughed.

Ruby made a face and quickly turned away, causing Emma to pause in her counting of paper Hulk cups and look at the brunette, "what?"

"Nothing," Ruby shrugged again.

"No, there's something," Emma pressed, "what is it, Ruby?"

Ruby turned to face Emma with a wince, "she.. she seemed happy. She was smiling, saying hello to people, she even called me Ruby and not Spot the Dog.."

Emma looked unhappy and Granny quickly added, "it was probably a fluke, nothing to do with Henry.."

"Actually," David said from the top of the ladder, "I saw her the other day too.."

"Let me guess, she was doing cartwheels at the park?" Emma asked, "wait, why did you see her?"

David climbed down the ladders with a tense expression, "I.. kinda went to talk to her about Henry.."

Emma closed her eyes and leaned on the counter before looking up at him, "and I'm hearing about this now?"

"It wasn't a big deal," David promised, "I just.. Henry's been talking about her being up to something so I just wanted to talk to her.."

"And?" Emma pushed.

"She didn't care," David said with a sad smile, "I'm sorry, Emma. She said she had nothing to do with Henry anymore.."

"There's more," Emma surmised as she looked at his guilty expression.

"We.. kinda argued," David admitted.

Emma closed her eyes and counted to five, "how bad?"

"She threw me over her fence," David confessed.

"Great," Emma muttered, "is there more?"

David nodded, "I threw her off of the council.."

"What?" Granny shouted from behind the bar, "why did you do that?"

"She threw me over a fence!" David reminded the older woman.

"So you removed the creator of the town, the person who knows everything about everything, from the council?" Granny queried, "I like Regina about as much as the next person but I understand that we need her guidance when it comes to town hall matters."

David tore the bottom of his shirt and raised it to show an angry bruise across his side, "she did this!"

"Oh, please!" Granny laughed, "she could have incinerated you, or turned you into a cockroach.."

David opened his mouth to argue and Emma stepped in between the two parties, "okay, time out, let's park this for now and get on with setting up for Henry's party."

An hour later guests started to arrive and Emma left to go and pick Henry up from school but first she drove to Regina's house to ensure the woman would make an appearance at the diner that evening. When she got there she noticed Regina's car was missing but knocked on the door regardless. As she waited on the porch she heard a voice call out, "she's out."

She turned to see one of Regina's neighbours tending to a his garden and Emma gave him a smile, "ah.. any idea when she'll be back?"

"She didn't say," the man replied with a shrug, "she doesn't tell me anything, unless one of my plants is over growing and then she's knocking on the door."

Emma nodded, "I'll bet," she said as she walked back down the path, "thanks anyway!"

She got back in the car and drove on to the school to pick Henry up. It had been a full week since Emma had signed the documents and while Henry had become consumed with Operation Cobra he had also become more withdrawn and quiet. Mary Margaret and David had tried endlessly to cheer him up to no avail and whenever Emma tried to talk to him about it they ended up going in circles, which Emma put down to the fact that Henry was still young and was having difficulty understanding his feelings. Emma didn't want to push her own fears and issues onto him so had just explained to him that she was there if he wanted to talk.

Henry got into the car, jolting Emma from her thoughts, "hey," he said quietly.

"Hey!" Emma smiled, "having a good birthday?"

"Yeah, it's swell," Henry quipped sadly.

Emma regarded Henry and looked at his bag, "you skipped school."

Henry looked at her with half surprise and half respect, "how do you know?!"

"You left your English homework on your bed and you've not opened your school bag today," Emma raised her eyebrow, "Henry, where have you been?"

Henry stared at his feet in the foot well of the car and mumbled something. When Emma frowned and ducked her head closer he spoke again a little louder, "Operation Cobra.."

"You've been following Regina around town?" Emma sighed.

"She went to see Marco," Henry frowned, "she never speaks to Marco.."

"Maybe she wants.. some.. door fixed," Emma shrugged and Henry looked at her with a pointed look, "okay, I have no idea why she went to see Marco but is that what this is really about?"

Henry shook his head but remained silent.

Emma took a deep breath, "look.. Henry.. I know you're struggling with all of this, maybe, maybe you should think about speaking to Archie again?"

"No!" Henry cried out, "no, I don't want to speak to him again!"

Emma held up her hands, "whoa, okay, you don't have to.. it was just a suggestion.."

Henry looked down at his feet and started to scrunch up his face, "that's what she did."

"Regina?" Emma confirmed.

Henry nodded, "she made me think I was crazy! She tried to make me crazy! She would lie to me and every time I would ask her a question about something she would lie and lie and lie. Before I got the book, it.. it was horrible!"

Emma could see a few tears marking Henry's face but fought herself from scooping him into a hug in favour of giving him space to talk and vent.

"She told me I was imagining things, that I was wrong.. she.. she wouldn't let me go out, speak with people, she told me I had to stay home where it was safe! And then when I kept questioning her she sent me to Doctor Hopper, to prove I was crazy!"

Henry was shaking with anger and Emma put her arm around him, "but I don't hate her," Henry whispered.

Emma looked down at him in surprise, "I can't hate her, she was scared," Henry said quietly.

"What she did to you.." Emma said, "it was wrong, Henry.. I can't imagine being in that situation, seeing that everything around you was wrong. Being the only person ageing.. I would have really gone crazy."

Henry nodded and wiped at his tears with his sleeve, "but.."

He drifted off and Emma waited a while before guessing, "but you love her?"

Henry nodded, "I was just really angry at her. I knew the curse was real, I knew she was the Evil Queen and she denied it and she killed Sheriff Graham and tried to kill you. She framed Mary Margaret for murder!"

He took a couple of deep breaths, "when you broke the curse I was so angry at her.. I didn't want to see her again.."

"And now?" Emma asked, fearing the answer.

"I miss her.." Henry whispered impossibly quietly, "I saw her twice this week and both times she ignored me. She doesn't care about me, she doesn't love me anymore."

"That's not true," Emma denied, internally hoping that she was right, "she was just hurting.. like you.. I think you both need to talk."

"How can I hate her and love her at the same time?" Henry asked seriously.

Emma took a deep breath, "well, it's.. hard to say. Emotions are funny things, we feel more strongly about the people closest to us. No matter what someone does, sometimes we just can't truly hate them. It's the sign of a good person."

"I don't feel like a good person," Henry admitted.

"Henry," Emma said seriously as she sat up a little to make eye contact with him, "there's fault on all sides here, you, Regina.. even me.."

"What did you do wrong?" Henry frowned.

"I should have tried to patch things up between you both," Emma confessed, "I shouldn't have let things get to this point."

Henry sniffed and nodded, "she's not up to anything, you know.."

"I know," Emma agreed.

"She just didn't want me anymore," Henry breathed.

"Oh," Emma cried and pulled him into a hug, "that's not the case, Henry, I promise you."

Emma's phone beeped and she sighed as she looked at the screen and bit her lip, "er, Henry?"

Henry wiped his eyes, "yeah?"

"You know that stew Mary Margaret promised?" Emma questioned.

Henry sighed, "yeah.."

"It doesn't exist, there's a surprise party at Granny's," Emma admitted with a small smile and was relieved when a smile broke out on Henry's face as well.

"Really?" he sniffled.

"Really," Emma smiled, "think you're up to it?"

Henry hastily rubbed the tears from his face and nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

Two hours later Granny's was buzzing and the superhero face masks were a big hit, Emma was taking a few steps back to snap a picture of Granny as Ironman when she bumped into someone, "oh, sorry!"

"Sorry, Emma!" Spiderman's female voice replied.

"Belle?" Emma asked.

Belle pulled the mask up and smiled at Emma and the women exchanged a laugh, "these masks are brilliant!"

"Yeah," Emma said, "I was the Hulk but then David took it to scare Mary Margaret.. is Gold here?"

Belle shook her head, "no, he is working."

Emma frowned, "isn't it a bit late to be working?"

Belle shrugged, "it's something for Regina," she sighed, "is she here?"

Emma shook her head, "not yet, I'm hoping she comes, for Henry's sake.."

Belle grimaced and Emma sighed, "you think she's not coming?"

Belle sadly shook her head, "I.. I shouldn't say anything.."

Emma pulled the woman behind the counter and into the kitchen area, "tell me," she demanded.

"I don't really know anything," Belle countered.

"Tell me what you think you know," Emma replied.

Belle looked at the chefs and then pulled Emma towards the fire exit and out into the alley beside the diner, "look, you can't tell anyone I told you this.."

"I promise," Emma nodded.

"Regina came to Rumple a few weeks ago, she was shouting at him about her happy ending. They thought I was out, I'd popped back into the shop to get something and they were really going at it, she was throwing fireballs at him and everything. She told him that he owed her, that he'd ruined her life time and time again," Belle turned to look around to ensure they weren't being overheard, "then I couldn't hear anymore, they weren't shouting as loudly. Soon after I find out that Regina was giving up Henry, I was shocked, anyone can see how much she loves him, loved him," she corrected.

Belle took a deep breath and said, "then Rumple was being secretive, I knew something was up so one night I snuck into the shop and I knew he had been brewing potions, I can always tell, it's the smell in the air. So I looked at his spell books and I saw that one had been moved and when I took it out there was a sheet of paper in it, like a bookmark. It was on a memory spell, it looked very complicated and I think it was to help someone forget how much they care for someone."

"Regina drunk a potion to forget about Henry?" Emma blinked.

"I don't think it's that simple," Belle explained, "the potion doesn't make you forget entirely, just dampens the feelings. And Rumple has been making a lot of the potion, I think it's an ongoing thing."

Emma looked shocked and stared open mouthed at the floor as she dealt with what she was finding out.

"I'm so sorry, Emma," Belle whispered, "as I say.. I don't know anything, it's all guesswork really."

"No," Emma breathed, "it.. it all makes sense!"

Emma looked up at Belle, "thank you," she said as she turned and ran off down the alleyway and into the main street and jumped into her car that was parked outside the front of Granny's.

She quickly started the engine and sped her way towards Mifflin Street, she half parked half abandoned the car outside of number 108. She ran up the pathway and glanced at the Mercedes parked in the driveway before hammering heavily on the door.

She waited a moment before hammering again on the door and shouted, "Regina! I know you're in there, open the door!"

She reached down and tried the handle and was surprised when it opened, she pushed it open and marched into the house, "Regina!"

Regina appeared from the kitchen, "shh!"

"Don't you dare shh me!" Emma shouted at her as she walked up the stairs into the hallway about to give Regina a piece of her mind but then she noticed the vial of silver liquid in Regina's hand and pointed to it, "is that it?"

Regina frowned at Emma and then quickly thumbed the cork away from the vial and made a move to swallow the liquid but Emma quickly ran towards her and tackled the brunette to the ground. Once Regina was on her back with Emma put her weight on top of her and reached for the vial in Regina's outstretched hand.

"Give me that!" Emma cried out as she reached and Regina held it just out of her reach.

"Get off of me!" Regina hissed at Emma.

"Not until you give me that potion!" Emma argued but was then stilled by a strange noise. She paused and turned her head to look up and into the large hallway as she could hear a noise coming from upstairs. The sound was so out of place that Emma couldn't immediately place it, but it sounded a lot like a baby crying.

"Regina," she whispered, "what is that?"

"That," Regina said, using the advantage to push Emma off of her, "is my daughter."


	7. Chapter 7

Emma was still sprawled on the floor where Regina had pushed the blonde off of her body and was now making her way up the stairs following the sound of crying. Emma stared opened mouthed at the woman until she was out of sight and then shook her head and jumped to her feet and ran to the stairs and took them two at a time as she followed Regina.

The upstairs hallway was dark but for a dim light from Henry's bedroom door that was slightly open. Emma approached the door and opened it up and involuntarily gasped in shock. Henry's bedroom was Henry's bedroom no more, the décor had been changed to muted pastels in pinks and yellows. In the centre of the room was a white crib and by the window was a comfortable looking arm chair where Regina sat rocking a baby who was wearing a pale pink sleeping suit. Along one wall was a half constructed large and ornate wooden cot with a large crest containing the initials GM.

"I don't recall inviting you up here," Regina quipped softly as she rocked the baby.

"You.. you.. how do you have a baby?" Emma stammered.

"Well, I didn't have a criminal boyfriend to knock me up so I had to go down another route," Regina sighed as she removed the dummy from the baby's mouth and put her little finger in the mouth in its place.

"You.. adopted?" Emma asked.

"Very astute," Regina whispered, "isn't she a clever Sheriff?"

"When..?"

"Today, actually," Regina said with a smile at the bundle in her arms who was smiling at her around the finger.

"You adopted a new baby on Henry's birthday?" Emma snapped.

Regina's head snapped towards Emma, "you will keep your voice down or you will be out on the street, you have already woken her once," she hissed quietly before turning back to the baby with a warm smile, "did she wake you, Grace? Did the rude woman wake you with all her shouting?"

Emma could actually feel her legs wobble with the shock of what she was seeing as she looked around the room again, "where.. where are Henry's things?"

"The garage," Regina answered, "I wouldn't throw them out. I assumed that one of you would come eventually."

"Regina.." Emma pleaded, "talk to me.. tell me what is going on.. I want to understand.."

"I don't owe you any explanation, Emma," Regina replied. Grace began to stretch and fidget in Regina's arms so she stood up and walked around the room gently while soothing the little one.

"You're right.. but I'd like to understand," Emma pleaded.

"I think you have all the information you require," Regina stared coldly at Emma, "you're a smart girl, you'll figure it out."

Emma swallowed and glared at Regina, "from here it looks like you're replacing Henry.."

Regina paused midstride and stared at Emma, "Henry ceased being anything to do with me five months ago, you took him away and ignored my requests to see him. The adoption dissolution was merely a legal tick box exercise."

"And now you have a new baby?" Emma went on.

"Henry.." Regina took a deep breath, "Henry was to be my own chance at a happy ending, someone to love, someone who loved me," she stood firmly and stared at Emma with a cold expression as she whispered, "you took that away from me."

"I.. didn't.." Emma started to deny.

"Save it," Regina shook her head, "all I'm doing is trying again. Looking for my happy ending, and that's Grace. She's five months old, born just after you destroyed my life, took Henry from me. Fitting, don't you think? My new child was born at the exact moment you took him from me."

"You're taking a potion to forget about your feelings for Henry," Emma concluded.

"Yes," Regina admitted, "I'm not a monster. Of course I love him, he is.." she chuckled at the sad truth, "was, my son for ten years. But as I told your imbecile of a father, I'm letting Henry go to give him his best chance. He doesn't love me, he'll never see beyond what I did to him. I'm only doing exactly what your darling parents did to you, except I'm not send a baby away in a tree trunk. Henry has made his own choice."

"He's ten.. eleven," Emma corrected, "this is a lot for him to understand. He's a child, he may act all mature but underneath everything he is a young child, you can't expect him to understand the complicated emotions that he is feeling!"

"As long as he has you and your idiot parents he will want nothing to do with me," Regina concluded.

"He misses you," Emma admitted.

"He'll get over it," Regina spoke softly as she looked at the now sleeping baby in her arms, "it's for the best, surely you must see that?"

"The best?!" Emma spluttered, "how does Henry being abandoned equate to the best?"

"I think you're projecting your own feelings there, Saviour.." Regina whispered as she continued to walk and gently rock Grace in her arms.

"Now hold on!" Emma took a few steps forward but suddenly the soft carpet of the newly constructed nursery turned into the concrete sidewalk outside Regina's house. Emma quickly turned around and looked up at the window to see Regina looking down at her for a moment before moving away from the window.

Emma stood and stared up at the window for a few moments before dumbly turning around and getting into the Bug.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma sat on the top step of the communal stairs outside the apartment she shared with her parents. She wore the white tank top and grey shorts she slept in but it was cold in the corridor and she shivered, not that she noticed as she stared straight ahead with eyes glazed over from tears.

She heard the sound of the apartment door open but she didn't look up. A soft sigh followed by some quiet footsteps that seemed to become more distant before they approached and suddenly a light quilt was wrapped around her shoulders and Mary Margaret sat beside her.

"Its three o'clock in the morning, have you been sat out here all night?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma solemnly nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it now?" Mary Margaret pleaded. When Emma had returned to the party she was distant and seemed to be on the verge of tears. She'd done her best to be in a good mood for Henry's sake but it was clear that something had happened to the blonde during the half an hour she had been absent from the party.

"Regina," Emma whispered softly.

"Because she didn't turn up to Henry's birthday?" Mary Margaret asked quietly.

Emma shook her head slowly, "she's adopted a baby."

Mary Margaret looked surprised as her eyebrows shot up and she considered what that meant, "a baby?"

Emma nodded, "little girl, Grace.."

Mary Margaret nodded, "so.. she's getting on with her life.."

The brunette turned to look at her own daughter who was again staring into the distance like the world had ended for her.

"Emma," she whispered softly, "what am I missing?"

Emma remained quiet for a while before swallowing down some tears and replying, "it's.. just bringing back a lot of unwanted memories.."

"From your own childhood?" Mary Margaret guessed.

Emma nodded sombrely. They had never discussed Emma's childhood in any detail, Mary Margaret knew that Emma didn't have a good time in the foster system but neither wanted to bring up the subject for fear it would create unnecessary distress.

"Talk to me," Mary Margaret appealed, "don't carry this alone."

Emma opened and closed her mouth a few times as she considered what to say before finally speaking, "I.. I had a really great life in this one foster home. I felt loved, safe, happy. I had everything. B-but then, they managed to get pregnant and they didn't have room for me."

Mary Margaret nodded sadly and brought her arm around Emma's shoulder in a supportive hold.

"I went back into the foster system and it.. changed me. I found it hard to trust anyone, love anyone. I guess I always thought I was going to be replaced. Like I would never be enough."

Mary Margaret's lip wobbled as she tried to hold back her emotions to let the blonde speak and get it out.

"After that it was a stream of.. bad homes," Emma said vaguely, "I always thought back to that first home and what I might have done wrong, what I should have done differently to get them to want me to stay."

"Oh, Sweetie," Mary Margaret allowed her tears to slide down her face, "there was nothing you could have done.."

"Logically I know that," Emma looked at her sadly, "in my brain I know that. But in my heart.. I still have those doubts. It doesn't go away."

"And you don't want that for Henry," Mary Margaret surmised with a sad nod.

"The kid's already confused enough, his Mom was the Evil Queen, he grew up in a town where time was frozen and he was the only person ageing, suddenly his grandmother is Snow White and she's also thirty.."

"Twenty nine," Mary Margaret corrected softly.

"Twenty nine," Emma smiled, "there's magic everywhere and dwarves and people can't leave the town and now his Mom has.. replaced him.." tears started to fall again, "I don't want Henry to feel the way I feel."

"Henry has lots of people who love him, Emma," Mary Margaret reminded her kindly, "and he is a strong boy.."

"Strength can sometimes be a mask," Emma confessed.

"I know, believe me, I know," Mary Margaret reassured before suddenly shaking her head, "Regina.. Regina loves Henry, she's an overprotective, suffocating mother but she still loves him, I don't understand why she would let him go like this.."

Emma let out a small laugh, "she's taking a potion, from Gold, something to lessen her emotions when it comes to Henry. Not forget him, just lessen the strength of her love for him."

Mary Margaret smiled softly, "then there's still hope."

"What hope?" Emma asked with a frown.

"Regina is taking a potion to forget Henry, because she knows that if she remembers him she wouldn't be able to let him go," Mary Margaret explained, "she loves him."

"What am I going to tell Henry?" Emma mumbled, "I can't exactly tell him he has a new sister. We had a heart to heart earlier and he is struggling already. He's just a kid, he doesn't understand what is going on."

Mary Margaret nodded, "yes, we do all forget that he is only eleven, I was still playing with dolls when I was his age."

"He has had to do a lot of growing up very quickly," Emma agreed, "but that doesn't mean he is ready for all of this. He should be.. I dunno.. running in the forest and playing on his games console, eating ice cream and focusing on his homework. Not wondering if his mother loves him."

"You're his mother now," Mary Margaret reminded Emma.

"I don't feel like it," she sighed, "I can never give him what Regina gave him."

"What do you mean?" Mary Margaret looked stunned at Emma's comment.

Emma shifted to face Mary Margaret head-on, "look at Henry, what do you see?"

Mary Margaret considered this for a moment, "a bright, kind, loving boy.."

"I let Henry go when he was minutes old," Emma told Mary Margaret seriously, "everything about Henry, every single thing is a result of Regina's parenting of him. She raised him from a baby, she educated him, she made him into the loving boy he is today. We could get into a big nature versus nurture debate but I honestly believe that Henry is a direct result of Regina's influence.. and I don't know how to feel about that! I mean, I should hate her, right? Evil Queen stuff aside, she murdered Graham, she tried to put me in a coma and ended up nearly killing Henry, she tried again and again to separate Henry and that's not even mentioning the curse!"

Emma looked away and took a few deep breaths, "but, then I see Henry," she smiled and her bottom lip wobbled, "and I realise that without her.. he, he wouldn't be who he is. She cared for him, loved him regardless, gave him everything he needed. He gave him the life that I couldn't give him, the life I wanted for him. The Goddamned Evil Queen gave that to him."

"I know how it feels to be conflicted when it comes to Regina," Mary Margaret calmed the blonde, "trust me. I loved her like a mother.. and then we spent years trying to destroy each other. But," she looked around to ensure no one was listening, "if I'm really honest.. I never wanted to hurt Regina.. I wanted to help her, take back what I did. Help her to be happy."

Mary Margaret laughed ironically, "I'm such a cliché, all I wanted was for everyone to be happy, still do."

Emma sighed, "yeah, well, I can't see a way for everyone to be happy here.."

"Except Regina," Mary Margaret pointed out.

Emma looked at her with a confused expression.

"She's got a new baby, someone to love. Someone to give her unconditional love in return, someone who needs her, someone who can't leave her," Mary Margaret listed.

"Someone who can't be taken away, the clause in the contract," Emma pointed out with sudden realisation.

"And she has a potion to stop her from feeling any guilt about Henry," Mary Margaret finished, "she's got her happy ending. And I think we need to respect that."

Emma looked at her mother and slowly nodded her head in agreement.


	9. Chapter 9

It was the sound of tension that shook Emma awake the next morning. She didn't particularly hear anything being said but she could hear tense whispers and could feel that the atmosphere was thick. She started to turn over but paused when she realised she was laying on the small sofa with a thin quilt over her, she searched her memory to try to remember why she was sleeping on the sofa and then she recalled the previous evening, well, the current morning.

She edged around and sat up and looked around, she could see the bathroom door was closed and could hear angry whispering from inside and she sighed and rolled her eyes as she got up from her makeshift bed and knocked on the frosted glass of the door.

"I can hear you, you might as well come out here and say it," she leaned tiredly on the doorframe and stifled a yawn behind her hand until the door opened and a reluctant looking Mary Margaret exited the bathroom followed by a furious looking David.

David turned to Mary Margaret, "all I'm saying is.."

Emma held up her hand, "wait, I have a feeling I'm going to be involved in this conversation and I'm not able to do that until I get some coffee," she turned and picked up her mug from the hook and poured herself a cup of coffee and then held the pot up towards her parents. Both nodded and she refilled their cups, that's when she noticed that the counter was full of dirty dishes from breakfast. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was nearly ten in the morning, "Henry!"

"Is at his riding lesson," Mary Margaret soothed, "we thought we'd let you sleep."

Emma looked around disorientated, amazed that she had been able to sleep on the sofa while they had all been having breakfast.

"Thanks," Emma muttered and then looked at David, "you were saying?"

"Emma," David implored, "surely you agree with me that we need to save this young child from Regina?"

Emma blinked and took a long gulp of the scorching hot coffee before placing her mug down and looking at him intently, "I'm going to say this once," she said slowly, "I'm going to use real clear language just to make sure there is no misunderstanding, you ready?"

David nodded, suddenly very aware that Emma had completely inherited Snow's terrifying silent rage.

"No one, and I mean no one at all, is to do anything to that child. Rescue it, save it, kidnap it, stick it in a wardrobe.. nothing. She is Regina's baby and we must respect that, people may have their issues with Regina.."

David started to argue but Emma silenced him with a glare as she continued, "and they may be right to have those issues.. but this is an innocent child who needs love of a mother. Regina will do that. We will not stop her."

David looked at Emma like he was desperate to say something, desperate to argue with her somehow but kept freezing up under the glare of his wife and his daughter.

"Isn't there a council meeting soon?" Emma asked casually.

"Yes," Mary Margaret nodded, "in a couple of hours. But first I really think you need to speak with Henry."

Emma felt her heart beat faster and she nodded, "yes, I'll pick him up from the stables after his lesson," she turned and looked at the clock, "I better get ready."

She picked up her mug off the counter and quickly made her way upstairs to her room.

David turned to Mary Margaret and opened his mouth to speak.

"David," Mary Margaret warned.

"I just don't get it, Snow," he answered softly, "why are we suddenly on Regina's side?"

"We're not on Regina's side," Mary Margaret pointed out, "we're simply not causing any more problems. We're letting her get on with her life."

"But who knows where that baby came from.." David beseeched his wife.

"It came from the Boston Adoption system, I spoke to Gold this morning, he confirmed that Regina has legally adopted Grace," Mary Margaret nodded with finality.

"Snow.." David began but Mary Margaret turned around and silenced him with another look.

"Charming," she started, "I know you have doubts about this but please, you have to trust me. I know Regina better than anyone and if Regina is happy then we're all safe. If you go storming in there waving your sword and attempting to take away that child.. well.. she'll kill you. Really kill you. It won't be like the games back in the Enchanted Forest, she will just snap your neck like a twig. And for what? Because you don't want her to have a chance at a happy life with this new child?"

"She took Emma from us.." David maintained.

"And we took Henry from her, not in the same fashion but we did," Mary Margaret admitted, "but this isn't about who did what to whom and when. This is about here and now, today and how we've all got to get along in this town. Storybrooke is a lot smaller than the Enchanted Forest and all the other realms that the curse affected. We are going to be in each other's lives whether we like it or not. So we can either live in a warzone, again, or we can try to find some peace for us all."

She took a step forward and cupped his cheek softly, "I want peace, for the first time in a long time Regina isn't actively trying to kill me," she paused as she thought about the fact for a moment, "I don't think she'd actively save me either but it's a start."

David smiled at his wife's optimistic grin and nodded, "I just want to.. to do the right thing. By everyone."

"Well then, that includes Regina," Mary Margaret pointed out, "when the town finds out that she has a new baby.. I don't know how they are going to react. But they are going to look to us for guidance and we have to present a united front."

David nodded, "we'll bring it up at the council and we'll get people to spread the news."

"Okay," Mary Margaret nodded, "but not until we know that Emma has told Henry."


	10. Chapter 10

"She's not in," David told his wife quickly, "let's go."

"No, she's in," Mary Margaret replied, "it takes a bit longer to answer the door when you have a baby."

Before David had a chance to reply the door opened to reveal Regina Mills complete with a child in her arms looking at the strangers with unfocused eyes and a smile.

Regina let out a slow sigh before starting to turn, "I'm not in the mood for whatever this is.."

"Wait," Mary Margaret said and held out an envelope in her mitten-clad hand, "here."

Regina looked at the envelope with suspicion, "Anthrax?"

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and waved the envelope, "just take it, Regina."

Regina took the pink envelope and frowned, "what's going on here, I'm confused," she said indicating the two standing on her porch.

"We just wanted to say congratulations," Mary Margaret beamed happily as she stared at Grace with wonder.

"And welcome," David said hesitantly as indicated, "to.. little, Grace, is it?"

Regina looked from one of them to the other with confusion, "a welcome party?"

Before Regina had a chance to say anything else Mary Margaret looked at David with a determined glare and he stepped forward, "I wanted to apologise for our last.. meeting.. I said some things that I shouldn't have said and I was wrong."

Regina looked at him like she had no idea what was going on and slowly intoned, "thank you, David."

He nodded and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"I'm not going to apologise for evicting you from my property," Regina replied with a shrug, "that was entirely deserved."

David was about to speak when Mary Margaret stepped in front of him, "I'm sure it was, look, Regina.. I.. that is, we, don't want to argue anymore. We don't want to fight and," she smiled at Grace who was making disorientated grabs for the envelope Regina was holding, "and it's clear you're moving on with your life and that's great. We just wanted to say that we support you and if you need us we're here, not that I think you'll need us," the younger woman added nervously, "just, you know, in the spirit of peace."

"We always wanted to get your permission to tell the council," David stepped around Mary Margaret to save her from her own rambling, "we have a meeting today and as Grace is a new citizen we thought it would be good to tell people."

Regina still looked confused and didn't noticed when Grace finally managed to grab at the envelope and bring it to her dribbling mouth, "I see," she said thoughtfully, "yes, I suppose that would make sense."

"Would you like to come and introduce her yourself?" David offered an olive branch.

Regina sneered, "but I'm no longer a member of the council."

David nodded and looked down at his shoes sheepishly, "as I say, I apologise for my behaviour, you are, of course, welcome at the council."

Regina noticed that Grace was busily soaking the envelope and pulled it away from her and shifted the girls' weight in her arms, "I appreciate the sentiment and the apology," Regina nodded in understand of David's offer, "but we are still settling into a pattern."

Mary Margaret nodded, still staring at Grace, "she's beautiful, Regina."

Regina beamed as she looked at Grace with pride, "yes, she is, isn't she?"

"How old is she?" Mary Margaret commented.

"Five months," Regina replied as if talking with an old friend, momentarily forgetting herself.

Mary Margaret smiled and then shook her head as she realised she was staring at the baby, "right, we should go."

David nodded and happily stepped off of the porch and gave Regina a small smile and a nod as he left.

Mary Margaret turned and stepped off of the porch but then paused and turned around and looked at Regina sincerely, "I hope we get to see you and Grace around Storybrooke soon."

Regina gave her a small smile and closed the door behind her with a confused frown. She looked at the gurgling Grace and shook her head, "those were the two idiots I was telling you about, Grace," she commented as she positioned Grace in the crook of her arm to rip the envelope open and pulled out its contents.

She looked at it with a frown, it was very much a Snow White greetings card complete with fluffy bunny rabbits and flowers with congratulations embossed in large letters. She opened it up to see the printed message said "on your new baby girl!" and underneath it had been signed by Snow and David.

She shifted Grace's weight again and looked at the card in confusion before placing it on the small telephone table in the hall where it looked completely out of place with the stark décor. She adjusted it a couple of times to try it at different angles before she was satisfied with it and shook her head with a slight smile, "simpletons."


	11. Chapter 11

Emma sat in the Bug and watched as Henry happily ran towards her, his hair was messy and there was mud splattered on his face and she smiled, he always seemed to spend more time playing in the mud than riding a horse.

He got into the car and smiled, "hey Emma, are you feeling better?"

Emma hesitated for a moment but then understood that her parents had probably told Henry that she was unwell and that's why she was asleep on the sofa.

"Yeah, I'm," she paused, she didn't want to lie to him and she knew she had to get the awkward conversation out of the way, "look.. Henry, last night I went to see Regina."

Henry stiffened. Although he hadn't directly said anything, he was obviously feeling a little upset that she didn't come to his birthday party.

"There's no easy way to say this," Emma stalled a little longer before closing her eyes and saying, "she's adopted another kid."

Henry quickly turned to look at her but instead of anger or sadness like Emma had expected there was simply confusion.

"She's adopted again?" Henry frowned.

"Yes, a baby girl," Emma finished.

Henry's brow knitted in utter confusion and he looked out of the window of the Bug as if to give himself some time and space to analyse this new information.

"She has a new baby?" Henry turned to Emma again, "like, forever? She's not just.. looking after it for a weekend?"

Emma shook her head, "no, she's permanently adopted a baby girl, she's five months old and Regina intends to keep her forever. To be her Mom."

Henry nodded and then asked, "so, I have a sister?"

Emma felt her heart break as she looked at Henry with a pained expression, "no, I'm sorry Henry.. she isn't your sister."

Henry's eyes darted around the car and Emma felt sorry for him as he attempted to process the facts. At eleven years old she was asking him to deal with and understand very complicated emotional as well as legal situations and it just wasn't fair. She wasn't at all surprised to see Henry's frown while his warring emotions struggled with how he felt about what was happening.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emma asked softly.

"Was I a bad son?" Henry asked plainly.

Emma felt the tears fall from her eyes and pulled him into an awkward embrace in the cramped space of the car, "no! Absolutely not! We.. we're all just very bad adults," she whispered into his hair.

"There is so much history and then so much hatred and such a lack of communication that this.. all went wrong, and I am so sorry, Henry. I completely failed you, I was so busy trying to sort out the town I didn't think for a second to try to help you and Regina to build fences," Emma mumbled.

"But I didn't want to build fences," Henry admitted sadly, "she was evil, not when she was the Evil Queen, she was evil after, too. She murdered Sheriff Graham and she framed Mary Margaret for murder! She tried to poison you.."

"Henry," Emma held him tighter to stop him from listing Regina's crimes. She was having enough trouble ignoring them herself without him constantly bringing them up.

"I.. I know that Regina did a lot of bad things but.." she paused, "I think we have to understand that she is from another world and things were different there, you know?"

Henry pulled back a little and nodded his understanding.

"In the old world Mary Margaret, Leroy, David.. they all killed people. Mary Margaret was a bandit," Emma chuckled at the mental image, "they have different social rules to you and I, that doesn't make them right. Taking a life is always, always wrong."

Emma paused and waited for Henry to nod his understanding before she continued on, "but it does mean that they think differently to you and me. They act differently. Regina did terrible things, we both know that but we have to remember that she did those things for a reason."

"Because Snow White broke her heart?" Henry queried.

"Yes, and.. other reasons too," Emma added but decided to not elaborate on the abusive relationship she had heard Regina had with her mother. And, although no one had said anything about Regina's time as King Leopold's wife, Emma had an inkling that the marriage was not a happy one.

"So, she did those things because she was hurting?" Henry said quietly.

"Yes," Emma nodded slowly, "people can be hurtful for many reasons but I've always found that people are mainly hurtful for one of two reasons, they are either sad or they are frightened. I think Regina was both."

"I still don't understand how I can love her and hate her at the same time," Henry complained and wipe at his tears.

"I know," Emma admitted, "I feel the same way."

Henry frowned, "you love her?"

Emma shook her head quickly, "no.. I mean I have opposing feelings for her, I like her and I dislike her."

"I know why you dislike her," Henry pointed out and looked at Emma expectantly, "but why do you like her?"

"Because she cared for you," Emma said simply, "she gave you everything I couldn't give you. She had made my life a misery ever since I got here. She tried to run me out of town, she framed my roommate for murder, she killed someone in front of my eyes, she punched me in the face.."

"She punched you?" Henry's eyes went wide.

"Yeah, I punched her back," Emma added with a smile at the memory, "she made my working life hell, she tried to keep us apart.. I really hated her. But.."

Emma paused and took a deep breath, "it almost pains me to admit that I knew she loved you more than anything, more than she loved herself and she'd given you everything. You're a great kid, Henry.. and a lot of that is down to Regina. I know she was strict and I know you feel like you didn't have the best home life with her sometimes but when you get older you will look back on it and realise how lucky you were."

Henry nodded and they sat silently in the car as they each sat in deep thought. Finally Henry spoke, "can I see her?"

Emma scrunched up her face, "I don't know, Kid.. she's made it pretty clear.."

"But she can't stop me from bumping into her in town," Henry smiled.

"Henry.. there's something else you should know," Emma said quietly.

Henry looked worried and she couldn't blame him all being considered.

"Regina.. you know Regina loves you very much, yes?" Emma started and smiled when Henry shyly nodded, "well, she is taking a potion to.. try to.. forget just how much she loves you. Not forget you," she quickly added at Henry's shocked expression, "just to allow her and you to move on."

Henry looked at her open mouthed, "she's taking a potion so she doesn't love me?"

Emma winced, "I don't know the exact details of it but she's taking a potion to lessen her feelings. It was really hard for her to not have you in her life these last few months."

"What happens if she stops taking the potion?" Henry questioned.

"I don't know," Emma shook her head sadly, "I really don't know, I'm sorry Henry. I just wanted you to know that Regina.. she loves you so much. Don't ever feel that she didn't love you, okay?"

Henry nodded quietly, "so.. you're saying I should leave her alone?"

Emma took a deep breath, "I'm saying that we all need to give her some space, let her know we support what she is doing and that we are there for her but keep out of her way for a while."


	12. Chapter 12

One of the rooms in the Town Hall had been converted into a meeting room for the council. Rather than the one large desk at the front and rows of chairs facing it, as had been common during Regina's reign as Mayor, there was now a number of tables pushed into a large circle. Around the table sat Mary Margaret and David as semi-appointed heads, Granny and Ruby sat beside them followed by Leroy, Marco and then Archie as current Mayor of Storybrooke. There were three other chairs around the table, one was semi-reserved for Regina and one for Emma and the remaining chair was for any visitors to the council.

Everyone was sat down and Emma rushed in, "sorry," she apologised as she quickly took her appointed seat at the table.

Mary Margaret smiled at her as she spoke up, "thank you all for coming, firstly we have an exciting announcement regarding a new arrival to Storybrooke. Regina has adopted a baby, a five month old girl called Grace. I know this may come as a shock to some of you but I think we all need to put aside our differences and.." she looked around the table with a raised eyebrow, "why does no one look shocked?"

"I'm shocked!" Ruby declared.

Mary Margaret waved her hand dismissively, "why does no one except Ruby look shocked? What is going on?"

Emma looked around the table as everyone attempted to avoid Mary Margaret's gaze by looking around the room, staring at their fingernails or making unnecessary notes on their notepad.

"Archie?" Mary Margaret looked at the man with a raised eyebrow, "did you know about this?"

"Doctor patient confidentiality," Archie shrugged apologetically.

"I didn't ask you to break doctor patient confidentiality," Mary Margaret intoned, "I asked if you knew about the baby?"

"Yes, yes, I did," Archie attempted to sound strong but it failed.

"Before or after the baby arrived in town?" Emma got involved.

"Before," Archie lowered his head.

"Oh my God!" Emma snapped, "you suggested it didn't you?"

Archie looked up in shock and held his hands out defensively towards the blonde but that just confirmed Emma's suspicions, "you did!"

"No," Archie replied calmly, "I merely suggested that her happy ending could still happen, Regina decided to adopt again by herself."

Marco desperately wanted to diffuse the situation so spoke up in order to help his friend, "she really is a beautiful baby!"

All eyes around the table turned to the carpenter and he realised immediately he had said the wrong thing.

"You've SEEN the baby?" Ruby exclaimed.

Marco looked down at his notepad as he mumbled, "yes.. I am building her a crib.."

"I should probably mention," Leroy mumbled, "I kinda.. decorated the nursery for her.. last week."

"You did what?!" David shouted, "why didn't you say anything?"

"I thought you all knew!" Leroy argued back.

"You did work for the Evil Queen?" Granny looked at Leroy in surprise.

Leroy shrugged, "she pays good money, and she baked me a cake."

Marco nodded, "she made me a cherry pie."

Leroy turned to the older man and smiled, "I got a lemon thing, posh French name."

"Tarte au Citron," Granny answered, "she supplies them to the diner if you want to pay for a slice."

Ruby turned to Granny in surprise, "she makes the lemon tart?!"

"Have you ever seen me bake a lemon tart?" Granny retorted.

"Did YOU know about the baby?" Ruby asked her grandmother with a questioning glare.

"She might have mentioned it a few days ago," Granny admitted quietly.

All Hell broke loose in the room as people started to shout at each other for withholding secrets or doing odd jobs for Regina until Mary Margaret stood up and put two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle. Everyone quietened down and looked towards her.

She nodded gratefully, "so," she shook her head in surprise, "it would seem that nearly everyone already knew about the baby."

Ruby made a move to speak and Mary Margaret nodded, "except Ruby. So.. I suppose all there is left to say is that David and I support Regina in this new family she is building for herself and we'd like that to be repeated to anyone in Storybrooke who doesn't already know that Regina has a baby."

Mary Margaret looked at Ruby, "although it sounds like it might just be Ruby."

Ruby shrugged and then folded her arms and pouted.

Mary Margaret flopped back into her chair and David spoke up, "the important thing is that no one gives her any trouble, I know there are still a few people holding grudges towards her but for the safety of the town we all need to.. be respectful. Can you ensure that message is distributed to the town."

Everyone nodded and then David sighed, "right, good, onto actual council business," he looked at the agenda in front of him, "Leroy, housing?"

Leroy nodded, "as you all know, since the curse broke a lot of people have been wanting to change their living arrangements. Thing is, Storybrooke was made in a certain way, no empty houses. So now some people are moving out, some people are growing their family.. we're about to have a housing crisis unless we do something. Fast."

David nodded, "I agree, we need to start building now."

Leroy nodded and clicked a button on a remote control that was sat in front of him, a projection screen flicked to life behind him with a map of Storybrooke on it. Leroy stood up and approached the screen and pointed to a couple of areas outlines in green, "the dwarves have been on a few walks around town and we think these three areas are the best for building, we think a couple of blocks of apartments here," he pointed, "and some starter homes here," he pointed to another area "and we should be good to go."

"This brings up a whole other issue," Mary Margaret pointed out, "Storybrooke is growing but no one can leave the town line, we need to build more houses, maybe another school, we need doctor's, dentist's, midwives.."

David put his hand on his panicking wife's arm and looked at her with a serious expression, "it's a valid concern but we need to focus on the immediately issues and then look at that after. The woods around Storybrooke are huge, it will be many, many years before the town grows out of its current infrastructure and we're still looking for a way home."

Emma looked up, "you are? I thought it was decided to stay here?"

David looked at Emma and nodded, "that has been decided but we will still look for a portal back for those who wish to go back to the old world. Ideally we would want to find or create a stable portal that would allow people to travel back and forth."

Emma frowned but slowly nodded "I see.." she whispered and looked down at her notepad. She could hear Leroy continuing his plans for the new housing but she didn't take in any of the details. She could feel the cold feeling of loneliness clawing at her chest, the family that she had found seemed to be slowly being taken away, piece by piece.


	13. Chapter 13

Mister Gold stood formally in the living room of 108 Mifflin Street, he wore a tailored suit and overcoat and leaned forward, balancing on the cane he grasped with both hands. He looked every inch the terrifying man he was with the exception of his face which was panicked as he stared down at the baby seat.

"No, no," he whispered tersely, "don't cry little one.."

Grace looked up at him with an uncertain face and was every inch the baby on the verge of major tears.

"Shh, your mother will be back in a moment," he explained with a fearful expression.

Regina walked into the room with a tray of tea, "she's five months old, she doesn't understand you," she sighed as she put the tray on the coffee table and bent down to her daughter. She adjusted the blanked and gently stroked her face with the back of her hand while Gold sat down and served himself a cup of hot tea and then began to do the same for Regina.

Once Grace was settling and her eyes started to droop Regina stood up and took a seat opposite Gold, noticing the cup of tea she nodded her thanks.

"Motherhood suits you," Gold said without a hint of malice.

"Thank you," Regina smiled as she stole glances at the Grace, "she had filled a hole in my life."

"And you hers," Gold pointed out, "dare I say that you have your happy ending?"

Regina smiled sincerely, "I think I do, thank you, Rumple."

"Oh that's quite alright, Dearie," Gold responded, "I was just in fear for my life when I agreed to help you."

Regina shrugged, "I like results."

"Is the potion working?" Gold got straight to the point.

"Yes, so far," Regina nodded.

"You have enough for the next three months," Gold commented as he indicated a large box in the hallway, "after that you will either not require the brew or you will have learnt to create it yourself."

Regina nodded, "I had a visit this morning from Snow and Charming," she began as she sipped her tea.

"Oh?" Gold remarked, "here to save the wee girl from the Evil Queen?"

"I thought so," Regina admitted, "but they.. gave me a card.. wished me all the best."

"I did notice a monstrosity on your hall table," Gold nodded, "very Snow White."

"I don't know why I kept it," Regina admitted.

Gold smirked as he sipped his tea.

"Out with it," Regina rolled her eyes.

Gold chuckled, softly, as he noticed Grace was now sleeping, "it's a peace offering, albeit a hideous one, that you have agreed to allow adorn your hallway. Is the fighting nearly over?"

Regina bristled at the possibility that her hatred for Snow might be in anyway dissipating, "no."

Gold shrugged, "as you wish, just remember," Gold swung his cane to point at Grace, "she has to grow up here. You may be content to live in a silo but she won't be, I would advise you accept any peace offering that comes your way."

He lowered his cane again, "Storybrooke is changing, Regina, the simpleton residents of this town have relatively short memories. The curse was instigated to allow you have your happy ending, the problem was, at the time, you were so consumed with rage and a desire for vengeance that you wouldn't have correctly identified your happy ending if it smacked you in the face."

He ignored Regina's icy stare, "maybe you were wrong. Maybe vengeance, death and misery aren't going to make you happy. You seem happy with Grace, maybe peace suits you."

"Did you come here to convince me to forgive Snow White?" Regina bit out angrily.

"No, I came here to deliver the potion, as per your request," Gold said as he finished his tea and placed the cup back on the table, "consider the rest some free advice."

He stood up and looked down at Grace who was sleeping happily smiled before pointing towards the front door, "I'll see myself out."

As he left Regina took a deep breath and released it again. She heard the click of the front door and shook her head, things were changing in Storybrooke, people were treating her differently and she had to admit that she was enjoying the respite from the fighting.

The sound of the front door knocker shook her from her thoughts and, with a quick glance to a still-sleeping Grace, she quickly moved to the hallway and down the steps to open the door.

"Henry," she breathed when she saw him standing on the porch with his hands in his pockets and that determined look on his face.

"I've been really angry at you," he disclosed, "for a long time."

Regina opened her mouth to speak but Henry got there first, "but I shouldn't have run away like I did. I.." he stammered, "I get that I'm too late to fix what I did."

"Oh, Henry," Regina breathed.

Henry released one hand from a pocked and held it in front of him so she allowed him to continue, "I'm having a hard time understanding my feelings about what you did.. I'm trying to figure everything out but I know you were a great Mom and.." he took a breath to steady himself, "and.. I just want to say I'm sorry and give you this.."

He took the other hand out of his deep duffle coat pocket and stepped forward as he handed Regina a green crocodile cuddly toy.

Regina took the toy and smiled, "I didn't know you still had Snapper.."

"I want Grace to have it," he declared, "I mean.. I dunno if she'll like crocodiles.. she might prefer bunnies or something but.."

"She'll love it, thank you, Henry," Regina looked at him with a small smile, "I take it Emma doesn't know you've come here?"

Henry look down at the ground and shook his head.

Regina took a deep breath and stared into the distance as she attempted to build up the strength to tell Henry he had to leave. Then she noticed that Henry had bent down and picked up an empty glass sweet jar that he must have put down on the ground in order to knock on the door. He held it in both hands and handed it to her, she put it in the crook of her arm and looked at him with a confused frown.

"Remember when I used to have nightmares?" Henry explained and realisation started to dawn on Regina's face, "you'd make me write down what they were about and then we'd put them in the jar and put the lid on to keep them locked up.."

Regina nodded and frowned, "are you having nightmares again?"

"No," Henry assured her with a small nod of the head.

"This is a very big jar," Regina commented, "we used a jam jar.."

"This is different," Henry explained, "I think.. I think we've both forgotten all the things we liked about each other. So I think we need to put them somewhere so they can't get out again. I know.. I mean, I understand that you're not my Mom anymore.."

Regina felt a painful clench in her heart and damned Rumple for not making the potion stronger.

".. but," Henry continued, "I don't want to forget what a great Mom you were to me and I don't want you to forget either. So I'm going to write down stuff and I'll bring them over, I'll just post them through the door if you don't want to see me, and then you can put them in the jar. If you like. Or not," Henry shrugged, "I'm gonna keep writing them anyway."

"Henry," Regina said gently as she placed the jar on the floor in the hallway and balanced the crocodile toy on top, "don't you think it's better for both of us to.. have a clean break?"

Henry shrugged in a way that reminded Regina that he was still a young boy, "you can if you want, I don't want to forget the good times. And I don't think you really want to either.."

"You know that nothing will change," Regina questioned, "you are legally Emma's child now.."

"I know," Henry smiled simply, "you're just.. the Mayor.. and a cool person I know."

Regina smiled and chuckled, "cool person?"

Henry grinned back but then his face fell, "oh uh.."

Regina frowned and was about to ask him what was wrong when she saw a yellow Bug skid to a halt outside the front garden gate.

Emma jumped out of the car and Regina stood up and folded her arms across her chest as she looked down at Henry with a serious look, "I think you're in trouble.." she observed.

"Yeah," Henry nodded as he turned around to see Emma stalking up the path.

"Henry! You can't be here!" Emma called out to him, "do you have any idea how worried Belle is about you?"

"Sorry," Henry looked contrite.

"It's quite all right, Miss Swan," Regina told her with a small smile.

Emma looked at Regina with an apologetic expression, "I.. I had no idea.."

"I know, its fine," Regina told her.

"Henry, car please," Emma said as she pointed at the Bug. Henry didn't hesitate, he could see Emma wasn't in the mood for a conversation on the matter and rushed down to the car.

"I'm sorry," Emma told Regina sincerely.

"As I said, it's quite all right," Regina replied as she examined the stressed face of the blonde in front of her.

"No, I'm sorry for.. waking Grace, tackling you to the floor and arguing.. I'm sorry for being a.. well.. I'm just sorry," Emma nodded and then turned on her heel to walk away.

Regina frowned and called out, "Emma?"

Emma paused and slowly turned around and looked at Regina with a sad expression in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked softly.

Emma nodded quickly, "yep, I'm fine," she replied and quickly turned around and got into the Bug.


	14. Chapter 14

David had spent the last two hours speaking with Leroy and the other dwarves about the new building plans and was heading back to town via the park. He was practically through the park when he saw Regina's black Mercedes parked up on the kerb by the park entrance, the woman herself was standing behind the car with Grace in her arms and looking at the stroller in the car with a frown as she pondered how to remove it.

Without a thought David sprinted over to the car and greeted Regina with a smile as he said, "let me help you with that."

Regina looked at him with suspicion as he reached into the boot of the car and removed the stroller and placed the flattened item on the sidewalk. He looked at it with a frown as he looked for a way to unfold the stroller to make it usable and Regina held back a smile as she watched him struggle.

"There's a red button," she commented and when he looked confused she added, "on the handle."

He looked at the wrong end of the stroller and she rolled her eyes and she added, "the other handle."

David looked at the other end of the stroller and then found the button and clicked it and lifted the stroller into place. He went to let go of it and it collapsed again and he laughed as he lifted it again, "tricky," he smiled at her.

"Regretting leaping to the rescue, Charming?" Regina queried.

"No," he said sincerely as he lifted the stroller into place and found a clip to keep it upright.

Regina looked at him with an uncertain expression and sucked in the side of her cheek as he closed the boot of the car for her, she stepped forward and placed Grace in the stroller before casually looking at David, "would you care to join us?"

David looked as surprised as Regina but quickly covered it with a smile and nodded, "I'd like that."

"Did I miss anything at the council meeting?" Regina asked casually.

David stuck his hands into his pockets as he walked beside her and thought for a moment, "the dwarves are looking into the housing crisis.."

"There's a housing crisis?" Regina interrupted.

"There will be soon," David replied, "people are splitting up, new families are forming, new babies are arriving," he gestured to Grace, "we need more housing."

Regina considered this and nodded, "just remember that the dwarves aren't known for their understanding of building. Demolition, yes. Building, no."

"They have a pretty good understanding of things," David commented.

"They did in the old world," Regina pointed out, "but here is a different matter. Different soil types, underground streams, old mines.. even I don't know exactly what is underneath Storybrooke, sometimes I shudder to think," she admitted.

"We can't exactly bring in outside help," David reminded her.

"I know," Regina nodded, "the dwarves, they are just so.." she stopped walking as she sought out the word she wanted, "chipper."

David laughed, "and that's a bad thing?"

"Yes!" Regina exclaimed as she carried on walking, "they are all pickaxes and whistling. We need thought and planning. Just.. emphasise to them to look before they leap."

"I'll talk to them first thing in the morning," David promised.

Regina nodded and they continued to walk in companionable silence as they circled the duck pond. David was staring at Grace who was looking back up at him with a half-smile and Regina looked at him, "everything okay?"

"She's beautiful," David said wistfully before looking at Regina shyly, "Snow and I are trying for a baby."

"Oh!" Regina said in surprise, she'd known the time would come but she hadn't been expecting it.

"No one knows," David commented.

Regina raised her eyebrow and smirked, "and you're trusting me with this information, why?"

"I have no idea," David laughed, "just seemed the right time and place."

"Sounds like you're about to have your own housing crisis," Regina commented.

David frowned at her in confusion and Regina laughed, "oh, come on, David! Even you must know that three adults, an eleven year old and a baby won't fit into that tiny loft."

David ignored the sleight on his intelligence and stared out at the pond as they walked, "yeah, you're right," he said thoughtfully.

Grace started to fuss and kick out at her blankets and Regina steered the stroller to a nearby bench and picked Grace up from the stroller and held her over her shoulder and rocked her gently, she looked at David staring at the baby with wonder. He was intently focusing on Grace and making noises at her to keep her entertained and reaching for her grasping fingers.

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes at what she was considering before turning around and looked questioningly at David, "would you like to hold her?"

David took a step back in surprise, "er, no, I'm.. no.." he stammered.

"For Gods sake," she muttered and handed Grace to him, "you'll need to practice if you're going to have one of your own."

He took Grace and held her at arm's length and looked at her in panic as he gently bounced her, Grace looked at him with a smile and gurgled happily at the rhythm.

"Hold her against you," Regina offered, "you won't break her."

David carefully readjusted his hold so Grace's back was against his chest with one of his arms underneath her and the other across her small body. He bounced her slightly and she made happy noises and he beamed at Regina who merely sighed and waved her hand distractedly, "go and show her the ducks or something, Charming. I have some calls to make."

He smiled and quickly approached the pond, all the while talking to Grace and pointing out the different things he could see in a baby-voice. Regina rolled her eyes and sat on the bench as she got out her mobile phone and absentmindedly looked at the screen while keeping an eye on David.


	15. Chapter 15

"Emma?" Mary Margaret touched the blonde's shoulder softly, "Honey?"

Emma just pulled the sheets up higher around her head, "I'm not feeling well," she mumbled in reply.

Mary Margaret looked over at Henry who stood in the doorway of the bedroom they shared. As soon as Emma had driven Henry home she had made him a sandwich and told him he could play his game for as long as he wanted before climbing up the stairs and getting into bed fully dressed, complete with her boots.

Henry had waited for a couple of hours before calling Mary Margaret and asking her to come home and see if Emma was okay. He now waited anxiously in the doorway and looked at Mary Margaret with a confused and scared expression.

"Henry," Mary Margaret said, "could you pop to Granny's and get yourself a hot chocolate and something to eat?"

Henry nodded and left the two women alone, once Mary Margaret heard the front door close she looked back at the mass of sheets that was her daughter. She sucked in her cheek as she sat on the bed beside Emma with her back against the headboard, "I'm not going to go anywhere until you tell me what's wrong," she proclaimed softly.

"I'm just dealing with.." Emma's muffled voice sounded through the sheets, "..some.. stuff at the moment. I just need some time alone."

"Is this because of what David said about the portal?" Mary Margaret asked. She had seen Emma's distress at the idea of a portal being opened between the world, "because it's so unlikely we'll even find one."

Emma was silent beneath the sheets and Mary Margaret tried again, "is it Regina?"

"No," Emma replied quickly. A little too quickly for Mary Margaret's liking.

"Everyone seems very understanding, don't you think?" Mary Margaret tried to encourage Emma to speak, "looks like we were last to know about the baby," she chuckled softly, "she's so cute though!"

Emma turned around and peaked through the sheets, "you've seen the baby?"

Mary Margaret nodded, "yes, your father and I dropped off a card this morning."

Emma looked at Mary Margaret in disbelief, "a. card?"

"Yes, it was adorable, it had a patchwork bunny rabbit and there were flowers and it said.."

Emma sat up with a sheet still wrapped around her body and head and interrupted Mary Margaret mid flow, "you gave your mortal enemy a card?"

"She's not my mortal enemy," Mary Margaret argued.

"Then why have I spent three of the last five months having to convince people not to hang her or stone her to death?" Emma cried, "why has everyone been acting like she's the devil, convincing me to keep Henry away from her and now suddenly you're all making cribs for her new perfect baby, decorating her house and giving her fucking greetings cards! Did I not get the memo?!"

"Emma," Mary Margaret implored, calmly.

"No, you don't get it, I.. I've spent so much time," Emma bit out angrily, "so much time convincing you all to leave her alone, I patrolled her Goddamn house every night for the first two months after the curse broke because of all the threats. Everyone said I would be crazy to let Henry see her, so I did what you all said. I kept him away. I don't know why I listened to you all, I knew it was wrong.. and now look.. he has lost his mother!"

"He has you," Mary Margaret replied.

"I'm not his mother!" Emma screamed back, "I'm a body, that's all, I gave birth to him. I'm not a real mother, I don't have a clue how to be a mother!"

"You're a great mother," Mary Margaret started to answer but Emma shook her head.

"No.. tell me this, tell me, when did everyone suddenly change their mind about Regina?" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret knitted her brow, "I.. I don't know, I suppose it just happened over time. No one really spoke about it but I suppose we all just liked the peace. Regina's been different here, once the initial anger died down a lot of people realised they had a better life here."

"Fucking perfect," Emma rolled her eyes and flopped back onto the bed and covered her face with the sheets again.

Mary Margaret looked at the sheet and bit her lip, "would you like me to go?"

"Yes please," Emma breathed quietly and Mary Margaret stood up from the bed and walked over to the door.

She looked back at Emma, "I'm sorry, Emma.. I.. I'm here for you," she said to the pile of twisted sheets and when no answer was forthcoming she closed the door.

Emma held out for as long as she could after the sound of the click of the door, it only turned out to be a few seconds before she started crying heavily. Emma had been angry at everyone's sudden one eighty regarding Regina, that much was true but it wasn't the only reason she was in her bed crying. She couldn't tell Mary Margaret about her crushing fear of rejection and abandonment, she couldn't explain the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that was threatening to suffocate her. As much as she moved Mary Margaret she knew the innocent woman would have trouble understanding, only people who had been tossed aside like Emma had really knew how it felt. Only those people knew that the slip into depression was thick and fast.

After what seemed like hours but probably had only been twenty minutes Emma sat up in bed and pushed the sheets off of her shoulders quickly. The suffocating feeling was becoming real and she couldn't stand the feeling of the thin material around her any longer. She looked at the camp bed beside her own, Henry's bed and she swallowed thickly. She knew she had to be a better mother for him, she couldn't let her own demons prevent him from having the best upbringing she could offer him.

She stood up and walked over to the large mirror above her dresser and looked at her red, blotchy face and her streaking make up and plucked a tissue from the box on the dresser and started wiping at her face. Experience had told her that it was impossible to get over the deep-rooted fear of being forsaken but masking those feelings was a whole different matter, that was something Emma had experience of, something Emma could do and do well.

With a deep breath she stared herself in the eye and knew that she had to push these feelings down and get on with the two jobs she had been assigned in this town. Being Sheriff. And being a mother.


	16. Chapter 16

Mary Margaret walked into the diner and quickly located Henry in the furthest booth from the entrance, he was nursing a mug of hot chocolate and flipping through his storybook. She took a deep breath and walked over to him and as she approached he looked up excitedly and asked, "is she okay now?"

She sat in the booth and sadly shook her head, "I'm afraid not, Henry.. she's going to need some time, some space."

"Yeah, that's kinda going around," Henry said sadly and seemingly focused his attention back on the book in front of him.

Mary Margaret looked at him sadly and gently told him, "this is very hard for Emma as well.."

"She doesn't want me," Henry muttered, "it's okay, I figured it out."

"Oh, Henry!" Mary Margaret trembled and quickly got up and moved around the booth to sit next to him and pull him into a tight embrace, "that is not true, she loves you so much, she wants you to be with her. She's just.. she's worried about you and that you'll feel abandoned and lonely and that's making her feel that way too."

"But I don't feel like that, well, I didn't," Henry confessed.

"Yes, but, she thinks you will.." Mary Margaret tried to explain without condemning Henry to the intimate knowledge of Emma's childhood.

"Why don't adults just talk?" Henry demanded as he sat back from Mary Margaret's embrace and looked at her with confused eyes, "so much would be better if adults were just honest and spoke about things rather than lying and hiding stuff."

"That's very true," Mary Margaret nodded sadly, "but sometimes people lie to protect themselves and sometimes they lie because they think they are protecting the people they care about. Even if it doesn't always work out that way."

Henry was about to reply but looked up as David entered the diner and smiled over at them, seemingly oblivious to the emotional moment they were having. He rushed over with a smile, "I just met Regina and Grace in the park."

"You saw the baby?" Henry asked with interest.

"She let me hold her, I showed her the ducks and the pond, she's very bright I'm pretty sure she was listening to what I said," David nodded excitedly as he sat in the booth opposite.

Mary Margaret smiled at the light in David's eyes and the excitement with which he spoke about the baby but she was still confused, "she let you hold her?"

David nodded, "yeah, practically made me hold her!"

"The card must have worked," Mary Margaret said with a surprised look.

"Is she still in the park?" Henry asked excitedly and looked like he was ready to bolt any moment to join them.

"No, sorry, Henry," David shook his head, "she's gone home for a feed."

David looked at Mary Margaret with excited eyes and reached across the table and captured her hand with a smile that spoke a thousand words. Mary Margaret blushed and grinned but also titled her head towards Henry in a warning gesture.

"Oh, and another thing!" David said excitedly and reached into his pocket and took out a key, "I was talking to Gold about the land we are building on and I happened to mention the overcrowding issue and everything and he told me that a new apartment has become available, right across the street. He has given me the key so we can have a look at it, but I was thinking that Emma and Henry would like it. You need some space don't you, Henry?"

Henry nodded excitedly, "would I get my own room?"

"You sure would," David smiled, "I just had a quick look and it's really nice and you'll literally be a twenty second walk away!"

"That's great," Henry smiled and looked up at Mary Margaret who looked concerned as she replied, "I don't know, Emma's in a bit of a fragile place right now.."

"But you said yourself that she needed space," Henry frowned.

"Well, yes, but not necessarily that kind of space," Mary Margaret commented, "we'll talk to her," then she looked at the two men who surrounded her and shook her head, "no, I'll talk to her. You two are to remain absolutely silent on the matter, okay?"

David and Henry looked at her in surprise as she stood up, "I may not have been there for her when she was a baby but I'm here for her now," she announced as she left the diner and rushed back to the apartment. Mary Margaret was very worried for Emma, it was so unlike the blonde to wear her heart on her sleeve at all never mind have a breakdown of sorts with Henry around. She desperately wanted to help her daughter but she had no idea where to begin, Emma was a strong and independent adult and Mary Margaret had only known her a relatively short amount of time and therefore didn't really know her.

She climbed the stairs to the apartment and began to think about how she was going to speak with Emma about the idea of moving out. She knew that Emma had often mentioned how cramped it was, even before David and Henry moved in she was reticent about Ruby temporarily living with them when she left her job with Granny. Emma was a young woman who needed her space and really didn't need to hear her parents making out and more in the room downstairs. It all made a lot of sense but the timing couldn't have been worse.

She opened the door to the apartment and just as she was about to turn and walk upstairs she noticed Emma making a drink in the kitchen. Mary Margaret frowned at the sudden transformation, Emma was dressed and with no signs of having been crying, her hair and makeup had been fixed and she smiled up at Mary Margaret as she greeted her, "hey.."

"Hey," Mary Margaret commented with a frown, "is.. everything okay?"

"Yep, sorry about that, I think I was low blood sugar or something," Emma commented, "I've eaten now and I feel so much better. Sorry if I worried you."

Mary Margaret carefully examined the blonde's face for any hint of untruth but she knew this was not her strong suit as she slowly nodded, "that's okay, but if anything is ever bothering you.. you will speak to me, won't you?"

Emma nodded brightly, "of course.." she looked up and added, "Mom."

Mary Margaret smiled brightly at that.

"So, what's up?" Emma asked as she took a sip of her drink and looked at the brunette with knowing eyes.

"Oh, well, it's," Mary Margaret stammered, "it's just something I wanted to talk to you about. You know we love having you here but I know it's crowded and David heard from Gold that there's an apartment available, it's literally across the street.."

Emma looked at her unwaveringly and nodded with a smile, "it certainly is crowded!"

Mary Margaret chuckled, "yes! Exactly! So.. I wondered if you wanted to have a look at the other apartment? But only if you want to! I don't want you to think we're kicking you out, I love having you here.. if we could find a bigger apartment or a house for all of us I would! It's just that Henry is a growing boy and needs his own space and you need your own space and.. well.. sleeping in the kitchen was fine when I was alone but now it's.."

"I get it," Emma smiled, "really, you don't have to worry about it, I get it. You're totally right and if you say it's just across the street then we'll still see each other all the time, won't we?"

"Absolutely!" Mary Margaret nodded happily.

"Great," Emma grinned, "when can we view the new place?"


	17. Chapter 17

"I'm not sure about this, David," Mary Margaret sighed. She rested the book she had been reading on her blanket-covered lap and looked at her husband and waited for him to pause the game he was playing and give her his full attention.

They had been enjoying a quiet evening in, courtesy of Emma who had arranged for Henry to go to a sleep over at a friend's house while she worked the night shift. The night shift was a relatively new thing to the Storybrooke Sheriff's department, before Emma arrived it was just Graham on his own and he worked standard daytime hours.

Once Emma started as Deputy some shift work was introduced which meant that the office was open from slightly earlier in the morning through until around midnight. But Emma had recently decided that a round-the-clock presence was required and had hired two deputies, David and Sean Herman who had quit his job at the cannery.

However Emma had thrown herself into her work and was often working partial day and nightshifts. In between all the hours she was working at the Sheriff's office she was spending as much time as possible with Henry which meant the little time she spent in the apartment she spent sleeping.

David looked at his concerned wife with a confident smile, "it will all be fine," he reassured her, "Emma and Henry have seen the apartment and they both think it's great, everyone agrees that it's for the best."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "I just don't think Emma's okay with it all."

David frowned, "she seems okay to me, she said she loved the apartment," David thought about it and added, "she was the one who spoke to Gold and sorted out the lease and she's the one who wanted to move so quickly."

"Exactly," Mary Margaret said, "it's only been three days since we suggested it to her and now," she looked up and towards the stairs as if picturing the bedroom and the boxes that were packed and ready there, "she's going tomorrow."

"We didn't tell her she had to go, or give her a timescale," David reassured, "she made this decision herself."

"I know, I just," she sighed and furrowed her brow, "I just feel that something's wrong."

David put his games controller down and left the arm chair he was sat in to sit beside the brunette, "there's been a lot of changes recently, Emma and Henry are moving out, we've been packing things up, the new nightshifts have come in.. it just means you and Emma haven't had the chance to spend much time together. It's bound to make you feel unsettled."

She considered this and slowly nodded, "yes, you're right, I'm just building it up into something it's not. She says she's fine.."

"Then she's fine," David smiled, "we've just got to get used to a new normal."

Mary Margaret nodded and looked up at her husband with a hesitant smile, "I didn't want to say anything earlier because I wasn't certain, I'm still not certain.. but I wanted to tell you.. I can't keep it to myself any longer.."

David looked at her in excited shock, "Snow?"

"I think I might be pregnant," she nodded happily.

David threw his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, "that is the best news.."

"Might be.." Mary Margaret added with a laugh.

"Might be the best news," David corrected, before he pulled back and smiled at her, "when do we know for sure?"

"Tomorrow, I have an appointment in the morning," she smiled, "though I'm pretty sure."

He grinned, "tomorrow is going to be a big day, Emma and Henry get set up in their new place and we might have an announcement to make."

Mary Margaret's face fell and David pulled her into another embrace, "if you are pregnant then maybe that's why you think something is going on with Emma? All those hormones?"

She nodded into his chest and answered, "maybe you're right."


	18. Chapter 18

It didn't take long to move Emma and Henry's belongings from one side of the street to the other. Mainly because they didn't have many belongings to begin with but also because of the help they received from David, Sean, Leroy and Archie.

"Can we unpack now?" Henry asked excitedly as Emma said thank you and goodbye to the last of the helpers.

She turned and looked at him with tired eyes, "er, yeah, some of the stuff," she said as she flopped into an armchair, "just remember I've been working a nightshift."

Henry nodded and started to rip open some boxes and emptied things out onto various shelves. Luckily the apartment came fully furnished and it was just going to be a matter of unpacking and they'd be moved in, which Emma was very grateful for.

"Are you going to help?" Henry joked as he hurried around the open plan apartment putting books and DVDs in the living room and plates and cutlery in the kitchen.

"Taskmaster," Emma whispered as she pulled a box towards where she sat and opened the lid. She pulled out some leather jackets of hers and her baby blanket and stared at it for a while.

"It's cool that you've kept that," Henry said as he indicated the blanket in her hands.

Emma nodded blankly as she put the jackets and blanket on her lap and reached into the rest of the box and pulled out some CDs, "Kid, put these on that shelf will you?"

Henry took the CDs and placed them on a shelf and Emma put the blanket into the now empty box and pushed it to one side. She placed the leather jackets on the chair beside her and opened another box and looked inside, "is this your school work?"

"No," Henry said as he stacked the CDs, "I already unpacked that."

Emma picked up the large notebook and could feel loose papers, pens and scissors inside and opened it up. Inside she could see lots of notes that had been written and then cut out of the book and she frowned as she picked one up and read it, "Henry, what's this?"

Henry turned around and smiled, "oh, that's for Mom.. for Regina," he corrected quickly.

"Oh," she picked up another piece of paper, "but what is it?"

He knelt in front of her, "it's for her memory jar I got her, so she can remember the good times we had together."

"Henry," Emma said in a sad warning tone.

"No, it's okay," he answered quickly, "she's cool with it, I've already dropped off a few the other day and she said she was putting them in the jar."

"Oh, right," Emma said as she felt the now constantly pressure in her chest growing in intensity.

Henry smiled and gathered up the notebook and the pieces of paper and put them on a pile of his things he was preparing to take to his room.

"She said that my stuff is in the garage," he told the blonde, "can we pick it up sometime and bring it here? Put it in my new room?"

Emma nodded, "sure, I'll talk to her about it when I next see her."

"Cool!" Henry said excitedly and picked up a handful of things to take to his new room.

As he left Emma let out the breath she had been holding and leaned forward to put her head between her knees and control her breathing. She searched for that inner strength, she wouldn't let the feelings inside her get the better of her, she had to be strong for Henry.

A knock on the door tore her from her thoughts and she quickly stood up and checked her face in the mirror by the door before opening it.

"Regina," she said with confusion as she saw the older woman standing before her with a dish covered in foil in her hands.

"Miss Swan," Regina smiled at Emma and looked at her for a few moments before continuing, "may I come in?"

"Oh, yes, of course," she stood to one side and gestured for Regina to enter the apartment.

Regina looked around and smiled before looking at Emma, "I won't keep you, you're clearly in the middle of unpacking but I wanted to give you this."

She handed the dish to Emma and Emma took it and frowned.

"It's a chicken bake, I've included cooking instructions," she indicated the little sticky yellow note on top of the foil, "it will save for a couple of days if you have plans this evening but I thought you and Henry would need a sturdy meal after the move."

"Thank you," Emma said with a small smile as looked down at the dish she held in her hands.

Regina looked at the blonde and then began to look around the apartment, "I've seen your car on patrol a lot the last couple of nights," she commented, "is there a problem?"

"No," Emma shook her head and turned towards the fridge to put the dish away, "we're trialling twenty four hour policing."

Regina laughed, "in Storybrooke? Is that necessary?"

"I think it is," Emma said seriously.

Regina shrugged, "you're the Sheriff."

"Are you keeping an eye on me?" Emma asked with a frown.

Regina chuckled, "no, Dear, I simply have a baby who requires feeding throughout the night so I notice the one and only vehicle doing endless loops of the neighbourhood."

"Mifflin Street is on my patrol route," Emma shrugged defensively.

"It's quite all right," Regina replied as she examined the CDs on the shelf with interest, "I feel marvellously safe."

Emma bit the inside of her cheek, she didn't know if Regina was making awkward small talk or mocking her.

"Where's Grace?" Emma questioned lightly, hoping to move onto safer territory in an effort to find out Regina's mood.

"With Katherine," Regina answered as she rolled her eyes at the collection of leather jackets on the armchair, "she's been wanting to spend time with Grace for ages so I'm.. at a loose end."

"So, you thought you'd come here," Emma stated as she folded her arms.

"I thought you'd appreciate the meal," Regina frowned as if unnerved by Emma's defensive manner, "I can leave if you like?"

Emma unfolded her arms and shook her head before rubbing her face with her hands, "no, no, it's fine, I'm sorry.. I'm just tired. Long day, move and all that."

Regina looked around the sparse amount of boxes, "yes, it must have been a trial," she quipped quietly before looking Emma in the face with chocolate brown eyes that Emma thought could read her mind like a barcode scanner.

"Are you well, Emma?" Regina asked softly, "you look.."

"I'm fine," Emma cut her off quickly, "you.. you best see Henry's room, he's very excited."

Regina continued to stare at her for a moment longer before nodding, "absolutely."

Emma swallowed hard at the not so subtle analysis and gestured for Regina to follow her down the hallway towards the two bedrooms.


	19. Chapter 19

Henry was excitedly walking around his, admittedly sparse, bedroom as if he had never had his own bedroom before. Regina considered that he had lived with her for ten years and Emma for one year, though due to his young age that could still be counted as nearly a tenth of his life which was a not inconsiderable amount of time. With all the turmoil in his young life it wasn't unusual that he had forgotten, or chose to forget, about the past and was now attempting to rebuild in its likeness in the present.

Regina smiled at his animatedly planning of where he would put his posters and his other belongings and occasionally threw in a piece of advice. Emma had guided her to Henry's room and then instantly left and Regina kept looking up as if expecting the blonde to join them again but she never did.

"Henry," Regina used a calm tone to slow the boy down, "is Emma okay?"

Henry frowned and Regina didn't know if it was because he was also wondering the same thing or if it was more confusion that Regina had been the one to ask, "she's sad," he replied simply.

"Oh," Regina nodded, not expecting an answer from him at all, "do you know why?"

"Not really," Henry shrugged, "she's working a lot, but she was sad before then. Mary Margaret says she's working some stuff out."

"I see," Regina said casually as she used her magic to check that Emma was not in the hallway, "well, I hope you are being well behaved for her?"

Henry nodded, "yeah, she tries to hide it from me but I can see when she's been crying and stuff."

Regina tensed, the thought of Emma crying and clearly on a regular basis had concerned her but she didn't want to force any further information out of Henry as it was unfair and she didn't want to worry him any more than he was already.

"Well," she smiled, "I'm sure she'll be feeling better soon."

Henry nodded though he was clearly unconvinced, "can I call you Mom again?"

The smile vanished from Regina's face and she hesitated, "er, Henry.."

"It's just," he continued, "called you Regina is weird. It's like I suddenly asked you to call me.. Donkey."

Regina laughed, "are you comparing my name to Donkey?"

Henry grinned at the teasing, "no, I'm just saying it's weird, for me. To just suddenly call you something else."

Regina nodded, "I understand but if you call me Mom then that might cause some confusion or some upset.."

"Who would it upset?" Henry frowned.

Regina hesitated as he wasn't making this easy and she didn't really know the right answer, there was no real protocol to be followed in this case.

Henry suddenly nodded with understanding and quickly ran from his room and Regina followed him in a panic but couldn't stop him before he called out, "Emma, you don't mind if I call Mom, Mom do you?"

Emma had been putting away items in the kitchen and slowly turned around to face them both, she smiled hesitantly at Henry and then shrugged, "sure, Kid.."

"See?" Henry said to Regina with a smile.

"Miss Swan," Regina looked at Emma to explain the situation that she knew had upset the blonde but before she had a chance to say anything else there was a knock on the door and Henry ran to answer it. Emma simply stared at Regina with hurt and confusion and as Regina attempted to walk towards her she was thwarted by David and Mary Margaret entering the room.

David was the first to see Regina and smiled at her, "oh, good, we have some news and you should probably be here to hear it!"

Regina looked from Emma to David and then gave a polite smile and nodded.

"David, we said we'd wait," Mary Margaret reminded him gently with a wide grin.

Emma leaned on the counter with a huge false smile and looked at her parents, "no, by all means, let's have it," she said with a gleam in her eye that frightened Regina.

"We're having a baby!" David announced loudly.

To stunned silence.

Regina looked at Emma's blank expression and knew she had to save the situation so she spoke up, "what wonderful news," she smiled, "congratulations, Snow."

Mary Margaret smiled shyly at Regina and Regina stepped forward and gave her a tentative hug and then did the same to David. Henry was buzzing around the three of them excitedly and asked immediately if it was a boy or a girl.

Mary Margaret smiled, "we won't know for a while yet, Henry."

"That's really great news, guys," Emma said as she walked around the kitchen island and hugged them both in one large embrace, "wow, you really floored me there," she laughed, "how long have you been keeping that a secret?"

David laughed, "we only found out just now but we've been trying for a while."

"Eww," Henry wrinkled his nose and Regina gently slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand and a smile.

"That is such great news," Emma beamed at them happily.

"We were on our way to Granny's to tell the masses," Mary Margaret said, "but we wanted to tell you first."

"Do you want to come with us to Granny's? Grab some lunch?" David offered to Emma.

Emma shook her head, "I'd love to but I need to get all of this sorted and then have a nap before I start the nightshift again.."

"Can I go?" Henry asked happily.

"Sure, Buddy," David grinned, "in fact, if you grab a bag you can stay with us for the afternoon as you're sleeping over anyway."

"Great!" Henry said and ran back down the hallway towards his room to pick up some things.

"If that's okay?" David belatedly said to Emma.

"Sure, why wouldn't it be?" Emma replied softly.

"Regina," Mary Margaret addressed the older woman bravely, "would you like to join us?"

"Unfortunately I have a prior engagement," Regina said with a small smile, "another time though."

Henry reappeared and before long Regina and Emma were standing alone in the apartment. Regina turned to Emma, "are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Emma tersely bit back and spun around towards the kitchen. As she moved she felt the room spin and she pitched forward and grabbed the kitchen island to prevent herself from falling. As she started to understand what was going on she realised that Regina was holding her arm and helping her to remain upright.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered, "I'm just hungry.. I haven't eaten much," she claimed as she shrugged off Regina's arm and stood up straight.

Regina waved her hand and a white paper bag appeared in her hand in a purple mist and she handed it to Emma, "one of those toasted cheeses you are so fond of," she commented and stared at the blonde until she took it.

"Thanks," Emma muttered as she took the bag.

Regina stared at her, "I'm not leaving until I see you at least eat one bite."

Emma rolled her eyes and unfolded the top of the bag and took out the foil wrapped sandwich inside, "is this from Granny's?"

"It's an approximation of one," Regina explained, "I haven't stolen it from the counter."

Emma took a bite and chewed happily and Regina was happy to see some of the colour return to the blonde's cheeks.

"Why do you ever cook if you can just magic up whatever you want?" Emma asked as she swallowed.

"Two reasons," Regina admitted, "firstly I enjoy cooking but most importantly magic is different here, every magical act depletes my magical energy and it takes time to be restored. If I used magic all the time I would soon be too weak to stand. It needs to be used sparingly."

"Was it that way in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked before she took another bite.

"Yes, but here it depletes much faster, there is limited magic in this world," Regina said as she watched Emma chewing a second bite of the sandwich, "Emma.."

"Thank you for the sandwich, Regina," Emma said quickly, she knew the tone of voice, she knew what was coming would be another vague and pointless enquiry as to her health and she would have to supply another lie, "but I really need to get on with unpacking and then rest."

Regina regarded the younger woman for a moment before nodding, "I understand," she said with such feeling that Emma briefly thought that she did, "I hope you and Henry are happy in your new home," she stated with a smile before heading to the front door and letting herself out.

As soon as the door closed Emma put the sandwich down on the counter and sunk to the floor with hot tears spreading across her face. She knew she had been stupid to come to Storybrooke and even more stupid to develop feelings for the people within. She should have remembered that everything comes to an end, that everyone leaves you eventually. She cried loudly and uncontrollably as she realised that she was the one who had brought happy endings back to Storybrooke but seemingly at the cost of her own. Everyone was moving away from her as they always did and she was destined to be alone as usual, but this time with the weight of a broken heart.

In the hallway Regina held the handle that she had used to close the door and listened to the muffled sound of crying from inside the apartment and frowned as she looked sadly at the door. Eventually she allowed her hand to drop from the handle and turned and walked away.


	20. Chapter 20

Six days had passed since Emma and Henry had moved into the new apartment. Henry loved it and had spent time getting his belongings from Regina's garage and taking them back to his room, he'd done it in many small journeys and had declined any offer of help from an adult with a car. Regina had decided it was to give him a reason to continually come to the house and while she was unsure if it was a good idea to allow it she hadn't had the heart to stop him.

He knocked on the door early one morning and waited patiently for Regina to answer, he had ridden his bike over this time after finding it in the garage on the previous journey. He'd had no real need for a bike as Storybrooke was small enough to be able to walk everywhere but he had decided to take it and ride with some friends he had recently made at school.

The door opened and Regina stood there with Grace in her arms, "good morning, Henry," she smiled, "as I said last time, I'd be happy to drive your things over to your apartment if you like?"

"No, it's okay, Mom," he smiled as she handed him the garage key and he picked up his bike from the ground and wheeled it over to the garage. After a moment's consideration she followed him, "how is school?"

Henry shrugged, "it's okay, I'm doing more after school classes now."

"Oh yes?" she asked as he opened the garage door and stepped in and she followed him into the dimly lit room. He walked over to his boxes and Regina stood by the light switch and took Grace's hand and pointed her finger and pressured it onto the light switch and smiled at the way the little girl's eyes lit up when the light came on.

"Yeah," Henry answered, "math," he turned around and sighed, "obviously," before turning back to the boxes, "and history and then I'm playing soccer and I'm in chess club."

Regina smiled as she bounced Grace gently, "I'm impressed."

Henry shrugged.

Regina tilted her head and looked at Henry from behind as she analysed this information, "why the sudden interest in after school classes?"

"Keeps me busy," Henry stated casually but Regina knew that there was more to it than that. She suspected that either Emma was keeping him at school longer or Henry was opting to stay at school longer. Either way it supported her theory that Emma was still struggling with whatever had been bothering her the previous week.

"I saw Emma on patrol last night," she attempted to sound casual, "is she still on nightshifts?"

"Yeah," Henry sighed lightly, "she's working a lot, she says it's because of all the changes, she says the curse kept things calm but now it's different."

"I see," Regina said, although she didn't as she hadn't noticed any crime beyond increase. She paused, "so, are you staying with Mary Margaret and David when she works nights?"

"Not all the time, sometimes Ruby comes over to watch me," Henry answered.

Regina swallowed, she wasn't sure why that bothered her. She suppose it was because she hadn't realised that Ruby and Emma were that close that the lanky brunette was a regular feature in their lives.

"Hopefully not during full moon," Regina muttered.

If Henry did hear her he ignored her as he looked through a couple of boxes and moved things from one box to another. Grace started to fidget in Regina's arms and Regina attempted to quieten her down but eventually looked at Henry, "I need to feed Grace, are you okay to lock up when you are done?"

Henry looked up with his eyes fixed on Grace until he finally whispered, "can I feed her?"

Henry had never shown much interest in Grace, he didn't seem to actively dislike the baby but he never made an effort to seek her out and had never asked to hold her. Regina didn't know if this was some latent jealousy towards the baby that he might perceive as her replacement for him or if he was afraid that Regina may not want him to be near the baby.

Regina knew it was a bad idea, she was attempting to keep Henry at arm's length, not completely remove him from her life but not allow him too close either. She didn't want to confuse the boy more than he already was but she didn't want to upset him either so she nodded, "sure.."

That afternoon Henry returned home with more of his things in his rucksack and carried his bike up the steps and into the apartment. When he opened the door he noticed that Emma was asleep on the sofa and he put his bag down and then locked his bike up in the landing. He wasn't sure why Emma was so strict about him locking up his bike when she was the Sheriff and no one would dare steal the bike of the Sheriff's kid but he did as she asked regardless.

As he quietly walked back into the apartment and closed the front door he realised there were eyes upon him and turned to see that Emma's bleary eyes were on him, "where were you?"

"At Mom's, picking up some stuff," he said quietly.

"I told you I could pick all your stuff up in one go in the car," she offered again as she sat up on the sofa.

"Yeah, I know, I like going over there.. I mean I get to ride my bike over there which is cool.." he replied as she got some juice out of the fridge and poured some into a glass, "do you want some?"

Emma screwed up her face and shook her head, "no thanks.."

"She let me feed Grace," he told her with an excited smile.

Emma faltered for a second before simply replying, "oh.. er, great."

"Yeah," Henry said, not picking up on her confused tone as he was too excited, "I had to hold her in a certain way and then she drank from the bottle, it was really cool. Then she burped, like, five times.. then she fell asleep."

"That's babies for you," Emma commented as she stood up.

"I need to head out soon, I'm trailing some kids who are tagging," she sighed as she stretched her arms out wide to each side and yawned.

"What's tagging?" Henry frowned.

"Spray painting," Emma replied, "vandalism.. there's a gang of kids who think it's funny to tag the town but I'm onto them and I'll catch them in the act soon."

"Didn't you just get home?" Henry asked as he drank his juice.

Emma glanced at her watch, "couple of hours ago, no rest for the wicked, eh, Kid?"

Henry shrugged and watched as Emma pulled on her shirt and her red leather jacket and picked up her keys. She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before she left the apartment again.


	21. Chapter 21

Emma paced around the Sheriff's office with her nearly cold mug of coffee and approached the large map on the wall and started to rearrange the sticky notes affixed to it. She had taken to marking down every single crime in Storybrooke in order to get to the bigger picture of what was going on. She was becoming frustrated that her deputies were not as vigilant as she was, letting what they referred to as minor offences go unpunished and unmentioned. She wasn't bothered about the punishment, she knew she could punish every minor infraction but she wanted to ensure that everything was monitored, to have an overall picture of everything that was happening in the town.

She slurped some more of her coffee and turned to look at the clock, it was three am and it was time for her next patrol. Slamming the mug down she picked up the keys to the police cruiser and marched through the corridors until she was in the cold night air, she rushed into the car and was thankful that it was still somewhat warm from her previous patrol an hour previous.

With detachment she started the car and began to slowly drive along her, now usual route, slowing down every now and then to observe anything that might seem out of the ordinary. Half the time it was simply shadows or an insomniac out for a walk but she monitored everything none the less. After she had completed her drive through of the main streets she turned onto Mifflin Street and started to slowly drive up the road it was then she saw something definitely out of the ordinary and definitely not a shadow.

Regina was standing at the end of her garden path, by the road, she wore what looked like pyjamas with a thick, black coat over the top. Emma slowed down and opened the window as she came to a stop and Regina walked over to the car window and held out a Thermos and a Tupperware box.

Emma looked at the items and frowned, "what's this?"

"Cinnamon and spiced apple tea and a freshly baked apple turnover, without the sleeping curse," Regina said as she placed the items on Emma's lap as she hadn't moved to take them.

"Why?" Emma puzzled.

"Do I need a reason?" Regina asked as she stood up and folded her arms across her chest to protect herself from the chill of the night air.

Emma glanced down at the items and arranged them on the passenger seat beside her, "thank you," she mumbled.

Regina looked at the pale tone of Emma's skin and was positive that the young woman had lost weight, her eyes seemed glossy and unfocused and she was clearly exhausted, even her hair had lost its usual shine.

"Would you like to come in?" Regina suggested lightly, "I could do with the company."

"No, I have to finish my route," Emma said and flicked her eyes to the clipboard that raised beside the steering wheel. It had a list of locations and a number of boxes so she could add the time of the last patrol in that area.

Regina nodded, "I understand," she didn't but she needed Emma to think that she did, "will I see you tomorrow at the council meeting?"

Emma nodded, "yes.. you're going? What about Grace?"

"She's coming too," Regina smiled, "when it comes to politics it's good to start them young," she joked but it was lost on Emma's serious face.

"Okay," Emma nodded and looked at the clipboard with a determined glare.

"Emma," Regina said to attract the blonde's attention and when Emma turned to look at her she smiled, "I believe you're in breach of town rules when it comes to working hours."

Emma swallowed, "what do you mean?"

"I mean that I see you every night working and I know you work during the day as well, while I admire your dedication the rules are in place for a reason, your health," Regina said softly.

"Not your problem anymore, Regina," Emma sniped back.

Regina nodded and continued to smile, "you're quite right, Sheriff. I'll let you get back to work."

Emma nodded and picked up a pen and wrote a time stamp on the clipboard before driving off up the road leaving Regina to watch the Sheriff with a pensive expression.


	22. Chapter 22

Archie Hopper fumbled with a number of folders and papers as he walked into his new office, Regina's old office. He hadn't redecorated, in fact he rarely spent time in the office at all as he preferred his old office but on days where there was a council meeting it was easier for him to work at the town hall.

"Would you like some help?" Regina's voice called out causing the man to jump and drop a couple of bits of paper to the floor.

"N-no," he said as he bent down to pick the papers up and looked up at the woman who was happily bouncing her daughter on her knee having invited herself into his office and taken a seat in the armchair.

"Do we have a meeting?" Archie asked with a frown.

"No, I wanted to speak with you," Regina told him.

Archie nodded and closed the office door and walked over to the desk and dropped the papers and folders in an undignified mess before joining Regina and sitting on the sofa and smiling at baby Grace who was looking at him with a grin.

"Something is wrong with Emma Swan," Regina announced, "is she a patient of yours?"

Archie stuttered at the directness of the question, "R-regina I can't answ.."

"Have you at least noticed her strange behaviour?" Regina continued.

Archie shook his head, "I have hardly seen her lately."

"Precisely," Regina sighed, "she's working all hours. She's breaking town charter regulations regarding working hours for town employees, I would have expected you to notice?"

Archie took of his glasses and polished them on the soft material of his waistcoat and softly asked, "you've noticed her working hours?"

"Of course, it's hard to avoid the fact she's so clearly.." she paused, "something is wrong with her."

Archie nodded, "I have noticed that she is not her usual self."

Regina nodded with satisfaction, "well, what do you intend to do about it?"

"There's nothing I can do about it, unless she wishes to speak with me about what is bothering her.." Archie admitted.

"We're to sit and wait while she destroys herself?" Regina rolled her eyes, "and I thought you took an oath to do no harm!"

"Maybe you and I should speak about why this.." Archie tried but Regina shook her head.

"No, this isn't about me, this is about the Sheriff. I want information on what is happening with her," Regina said firmly, "and you are going to tell me."

"I've not spoken to her and even if I had.." Archie began.

"Then we'll figure it out together," Regina announced, "admittedly I think the situation with Henry was the catalyst for this but I'm not sure why. Miss Swan has always wanted Henry for herself and after the curse broke he was in her fulltime custody anyway so I don't see why the legal change would have been an issue to her."

Archie nodded as he considered this, "unless it wasn't an issue to her, she was perceiving it to be an issue to Henry?"

"Henry didn't want anything to do with me," Regina said darkly.

Archie held up his hands in defence, "we're talking about how Emma saw things, maybe Emma was worried about Henry's feelings towards the change."

Regina shrugged, "I don't see why it would have affected him, he'd made his choice."

"Maybe," Archie allowed, "but consider this from Emma's position and her history. She has experienced being replaced by a new baby when she was in foster care."

"I was not aware of that," Regina admitted and considered the matter before adding, "do you think she may have transferred her own feelings to Henry?"

"It's very possible," Archie said with a nod.

"Her behaviour became more erratic following her move," Regina commented, more to herself than Archie, "and she was very shocked to hear about Snow's baby. Maybe the Charming's pushed her to get her own apartment and she felt she was being.. pushed aside somehow?"

"Theoretically a person with Emma's history could suffer from serious abandonment issues," Archie agreed, "she displayed some signs of this when she first arrived in Storybrooke but after the curse broke and she discovered her family she seemed to calm down a lot."

"But then I gave her custody of Henry," Regina continued thoughtfully.

"Maybe causing those old feelings to resurface," Archie nodded.

"And then the two idiots suggested she move out, which she agreed to in order to protect herself," Regina filled in the gaps, "and now they have a baby on the way and they are.. in effect.. replacing her, in her mind."

"That is a likelihood," Archie agreed with a sad smile.

"Abandonment is a strong emotion?" Regina half questioned.

"Certainly," Archie nodded, "as children we are hardwired to form deep emotional bonds with our carers, if that trust is broken then it can cause devastating repercussions later in life. Lack of a support network at a young age can create strong issues with trust later in life."

"Sounds like Miss Swan," Regina commented, though not unkindly, "how would the symptoms of this kind of abandonment manifest themselves in an adult?"

"Theoretically," Archie began, "chronic feelings of insecurity, anxiety, chronic depression, low self-esteem, feelings of isolation. Often there is a perceived lack of control of one's life which couples itself with obsessive behaviour."

Regina lowered a now sleeping Grace into her carry chair and nodded, "all that sounds familiar."

Archie sighed, "unfortunately, there are other behavioural symptoms. There could be heightened emotional responses, especially related to abandonment triggers.."

"Explain?" Regina questioned.

"Abandonment triggers such as feeling criticised or excluded," Archie added, "and then there's an added feeling of vulnerability, especially in social settings, possibly hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, addictions, panic attacks.."

Regina held her up her hand, "I get the picture, what's the cure?"

Archie smiled at Regina's no nonsense attitude, "there's not a cure as such. A start is for the sufferer to acknowledge the issue, identify their own symptoms and then take action, usually therapy."

"And if the sufferer is unlikely to acknowledge the issue?" Regina pushed, "what can those around her do to help?"

"Counteracting the feelings of abandonment is a good place to start," Archie suggested, "help the person feel wanted, needed, loved and cared for. Safe. It.. it's not an easy thing to overcome, Regina."

Regina sighed in annoyance, "that may very well be true, but it's a very easy thing to notice but I seem to be the only one paying any attention!"

With that she stood up and picked up Grace's carrier and looked at Archie, "you will bring up the excessive working hours with her, the town needs a Sheriff that is not on the edge of collapse. And then you will bring up your concern with Snow and Charming, don't mention my involvement."

Archie nodded his understanding and watched as Regina stalked from his office.


	23. Chapter 23

A week later and Regina was attempting to soothe a disgruntled Grace back to sleep by walking her around the house when she noticed the Sheriff's patrol vehicle pass by her house. She glanced at the clock on the wall to see it was just past one in the morning and she rolled her eyes in irritation. She gently rocked Grace in her arms as she shushed the little girl who was crying, "shh, I know little one, those Charming's are useless, aren't they? I did tell you they were idiots."

Soon after her meeting with Archie regarding Emma's mental health she had bitten the bullet and spoken to Snow directly about her concerns, she hadn't wanted to get directly involved but she knew that waiting for the idiots to notice that something would take forever. Snow had completely destroyed Regina's life and left the older woman blood thirsty for her vengeance and the ridiculous woman had never even noticed until Regina had murdered Leopold.

Snow had promised Regina faithfully that she had noticed that something was wrong with Emma and that she was taking steps. The idea of Snow's softly-softly approach had hardly warmed Regina, the sappy young woman was pathetic and Emma, even in this depressive state, would easily outwit her. And true enough when Regina had approached Snow again that very morning she was attempting to convince Regina that everything was fine, that Emma was simply tired and working hard on specific projects.

Grace stopped crying but still fidgeted wildly in Regina's arms and she smiled at the baby, "we'll have to deal with this ourselves, won't we?"

Regina picked up her phone and called the Sheriff's office number and after a few moments she was patched through to Emma's mobile.

"Sheriff Swan," Emma answered officially.

"It's Regina, I'm not sure but I think I just saw someone in my garden," Regina said with an air of boredom, "if you're not busy could you come and have a look?"

"Stay in the house and lock the doors," Emma commanded quickly, "I'll be there in less than a minute."

Regina hung up and gave Grace a kiss on the forehead, "simple," she whispered to Grace who was tiredly looking up at her. Regina walked down stairs and opened the front door at the very moment Emma was running up the pathway towards the front door.

"Regina?" Emma questioned in near panic.

"Emma, I'm so sorry," Regina looked apologetically, "it appears it was a cat, a shadow house made it appear larger, it appears I've wasted your time."

Emma slowly started to stand down and nodded, "that's okay, as long as everything is okay.."

"It is," Regina assured, "I'm sorry, it must be the lack of sleep, I was just about to have some tea. Perhaps you could join me?"

Emma seemed to wrestle with the idea and Regina smiled as she pressed, "I could do with the company.."

Emma nodded and Regina walked into the hallway with the expectation that Emma would join her which the blonde did, closing the front door behind her. Regina walked into the living room and directed Emma to a seat on the sofa and indicated the sleeping baby in her hands, "would you mind taking her?"

Emma's eyes flitted to the baby seat by the sofa and Regina spoke again, "she only just went off, she needs to be held if she is to fall into a deeper sleep."

"I.. I'm no good with babies," Emma said cautiously as Regina delicately transferred the sleeping baby from her arms to Emma's.

"You'll be fine," Regina replied softly, "I'll be back in a moment."

Emma sat on the sofa with her large winter Sheriff's office coat on and a woollen hat while she held the baby uncomfortably, her eyes continuously darting to where Regina had exited the room. She looked down at the baby and noticed with dread and fear that Grace was no longer asleep and was instead looking up at her with piercing blue eyes and an open mouthed smile as her pacifier fell to the floor.

"H-hello," Emma stuttered, "I'm Emma.. and your Mommy is going to be right back."

Grace gurgled happily and reached a hand up to pull on a lock of Emma's hair that fell across the blonde's chest. Grace laughed a cute baby giggle as she pulled and twisted the lock gently through her tiny fingers.

Emma balanced the baby in the crook of her arm and with her free arm removed her woollen hat and placed it on the table in front of her. She then shifted gently to free herself from her winter coat before shifting Grace again into her other arm and completely shrugging off the coat, all the while Grace looked up at her with fascination and continued to play with Emma's hair.

"Are you going to have long hair when you're a big girl?" Emma whispered to the baby and stroked the girl's fine blonde hair, "I wonder if you'll keep this blonde hair.."

Grace let out a large yawn and Emma laughed at the sight, "you nearly swallowed the room whole there, Grace.. maybe you should get some sleep?"

Emma turned around and wondered where Regina had gotten to and was promptly kicked in the stomach by Grace's gymnastics, she turned back to the baby who clearly thought her behaviour was funny so Emma gently grabbed her sock covered foot and played with it, "not so funny now, is it?"

Grace giggled happily and Emma tickled her toes before quickly moving her hand to the baby's stomach and gently tickling there as well, "I've got you now," she whispered to the squirming and giggling baby.

Regina carried a tray of tea in, "is she being a menace?"

"No, we're just playing," Emma replied.

Regina put the tray on the coffee table, "I was speaking to Grace," she mused.

"She woke up," Emma commented.

"So I see," Regina smiled she poured tea for Emma and then herself and sat beside the pair on the sofa.

"Do you want her back?" Emma offered the baby.

"You're doing well with her," Regina commented and made no move to take Grace's wriggling form from Emma.

"Surprised?" Emma sneered.

"Not in the slightest," Regina replied, bristling a little at Emma's tone.

"Right," Emma chucked derisively.

"You seem tired, Miss Swan," Regina said stiffly in an attempt to alert the blonde to her ungracious attitude .

"Not you too," Emma sighed as she looked down at Grace who was stretching her arms out in a yawn, "I'm getting sick of telling people that I'm fine.."

"You don't look fine," Regina pointed out.

"You know what.." Emma said as she looked at Regina angrily but before she could continue Regina waved her hand gently over the blonde's eyes and then quickly stood up and bent forward to catch the falling blonde and laid her unconscious body down on the sofa.

She picked Grace out of Emma's hands and waved her hand causing a blanket to rise from a drawer and float across the room before draping itself over Emma's sleeping body.

Regina cast a protection spell over the open log fire and then walked towards the hallway and turned the light off in the living room, "time for bed, Grace," she whispered to the little girl as she glanced at Emma's form one last time before climbing the stairs to bed.


	24. Chapter 24

Emma let out a long yawn and stretched out only to find her arm coming into contact with something hard, she shuffled about in a sleepy daze and suddenly she could hear distant sounds. A radio and something that sounded like a coffee maker and the smell of food cooking, she quickly sat up and realised she wasn't in her bed, she wasn't even in her own apartment.

Her mind quickly flashed back to the night before and she attempted to get up but in her hurry her legs become caught in the softest blanket that mankind ever knew. She angrily pulled it away from her and tossed it onto the sofa and stalked towards the kitchen but as she exited the living room into the dining area she saw the object of her rage.

Regina Mills. Calmly reading the morning paper and pouring herself fresh coffee.

"Did you fucking drug me?" Emma cried.

Regina lowered the coffee pot and added a spoonful of sugar and stirred the cup with a silver spoon, "language," she said as she indicated Grace who was in her travel chair that was perched on the table top.

"She doesn't understand!" Emma replied with frustration.

"She can read your tone and I won't have that tone in my house," Regina replied as she licked the drop of coffee from the spoon and place it on a plate.

"But you will drug people, is that it?!" Emma yelled angrily.

"Coffee?" Regina asked as she gestured the pot, "I made enough for two."

"You drugged my tea last night, maybe you'll poison my coffee this morning," Emma stated with her hands on her hips as she watched the older woman enjoy her breakfast coffee.

"I didn't drug your tea, you didn't even drink any tea last night," Regina commented, "I went to the hassle for nothing," she mumbled as she turned a page of her paper and continued to read.

Emma hesitated as she considered this, she realised that she hadn't drunk any tea. One moment she had been holding the baby who had been yawning like a machine and that had made her tired too and then.. that's all she could remember. She looked at Regina suspiciously and Regina sighed without even looking up from her paper, "why would I drug you? Have I robbed you? Interfered with you? No. Now come and have some coffee and then you can go back to accusing me."

Emma huffed and walked over to sit down next to Regina, who sat at the head of the table and opposite Grace. She reached forward and poured herself a cup of coffee into the cup that was clearly waiting for her. Regina indicated a small wicker basket with a white linen table cloth over it and Emma peaked inside to see a few homemade croissants and some muffins and picked up a croissant and began slathering it with butter and jam that was also on the table.

After a while Regina spoke, "so, how did you sleep?"

"Fine," Emma muttered, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter.

Regina took a deep breath and then let it out and then returned to her newspaper. More silence passed until Regina spoke up again, "how is.. work?"

"Are you trying to make small talk with me?" Emma asked.

"Isn't that what friends do over breakfast?" Regina asked with a shrugged.

"Maybe, but we're not friends," Emma pointed out.

Regina paused momentarily before replying, "no, no.. of course not," she returned to her newspaper.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for," Emma winced, "sorry, Regina."

"No, it's quite all right, I have no idea why I'm being civil to you anyway," Regina sniffed as she made a show of being interested in her paper.

"I don't know either," Emma admitted, "but I'm really grateful.. I've been in a bit of a bad place for a while and I've.. I've been trying to go it alone, you know?"

Regina's eyes flicked up to meet Emma's and she nodded carefully.

"So it's been a bit of a surprise, waking up here and.. having a nice breakfast with someone who just.. accepts me. Someone who doesn't have any expectations of me," Emma said quietly as she played with the remains of the jam on her plate with a silver knife, "someone who used to strike fear and terror into people and certainly wouldn't mistake a cat in the garden for a potential intruder."

Regina smirked and inclined her head, "indeed."

"But," Emma said firmly as she looked intently down at her plate, "this doesn't mean I want to talk about what's bothering me."

"I understand," Regina replied with a nod, "I will make a deal with you, Emma."

Emma raised an eyebrow, "a deal?"

"Yes," Regina said as she folded her hands neatly in front of her and addressed Emma as if she were negotiating a business contract, "I will not pester you about what is bothering you as long as you make an attempt at returning to a normal eating and sleeping pattern. You have lost a lot of weight, when you didn't have any to lose I might add. And you're driving around this town like a zombie, you're going to hurt yourself, or someone else. You are welcome to come here whenever you like, we can talk about weather climates in Borneo or simply sit in silence, if you wish to discuss whatever is troubling you then I will listen but I will not intrude. But please, take care of yourself."

Whatever Emma had been expecting it certainly hadn't been that and tears began to form in her eyes and she nodded silently. Regina nodded and stood up and began to clear the breakfast items away but as she reached forward for the milk jug the ground shook and both women jolted forward suddenly and held onto the table for support.

The sudden movement shocked Grace awake and she began to cry and Regina picked up her up and held her close to her chest.

"What the hell was that?" Emma said as she looked out of the window to see what might have happened, "was that an earthquake?"

"I don't think so," Regina replied as she soothed the baby, "it was like an explosion."

In the distance a phone rang and Emma raced into the living room and searched through her winter coat pockets until she pulled out her mobile phone, "Swan," she answered tersely.

Regina had calmed Grace again and appeared in the entrance to the living room with her brow knitted as she watched Emma listen to the call, "okay, I'll be right there," she said as she hung up.

She grabbed her coat and pulled it on and picked up her hat, "one of the apartment buildings being built has half sunk into the ground," she told Regina.

"Was anyone hurt?" Regina asked as Emma hurried towards the door.

"I don't know, it's too early to say.. I'll let you know what's going on when I know more," she promised as she opened the front door. She paused and looked at Regina who was standing at the top of the foyer with Grace in her arms, "thank you, Regina, I really mean that."

Regina nodded and gave a small smile, "be safe, Sheriff," she said as Emma closed the door.


	25. Chapter 25

As Emma arrived at the apartments she could immediately see the problem, half of the large structure had sunk several metres into the ground. Luckily the apartments had been built away from other structures and were in a clearing near one of the many wooded areas around Storybrooke.

Doc stood in front of the building with blueprints in one hand and scratching his head with the other, it looked truly ridiculous and Emma would have laughed if not for the seriousness of the situation. She got out of the car and approached him.

"What's up, Do.." she paused and he looked at her with a frown to show that he didn't understand her pause, "erm, Doc?"

"Luckily no one was in or around the structure as far as I can make out," the older man continued to scratch his head in confusion, "it's as if half of the foundations have sunk into something."

Emma looked up at the half finished building, it was about twice the size of the Mayor's house in both width and height and it consisted of a large concrete base and a lattice work of concrete pillars. Parts of the building had been covered with large opaque plastic sheets to protect the workers during bad weather which made it difficult to see inside.

Literally half of the building had lowered substantially into the ground causing large cracks to appear in the thick concrete base and the furthest end was listing dangerously down. Emma thought it looked like the very start of the Titanic sinking, the great ship had split in two but the pieces were not yet pulling away from each other.

"I have to go inside and look around," the older man declared.

"No way, it's too dangerous," Emma shook her head.

"But I need to see what has happened," Doc explained, "it could be the land we have built on or a faulty batch of concrete and we need to know."

Emma knew he was right and slowly nodded as she looked at the building, "okay, what's the best way to do this?"

"Alone," he said with a determined nod, "I don't know what shape the structure is in so it is best if I go alone so as not to disturb anything."

Emma didn't like that one bit but knew she had little option so she nodded and he carefully walked up the small hill towards where the crack in the concrete was and started to examine the problem before climbing up and entering the building.

She waited and regarded the building with a critical eye but as time went on she began to let her mind drift to her breakfast with Regina. For the first time in a long time she felt peaceful, with the Evil Queen of all people. She must have been utterly exhausted to fall asleep in Regina's living room but she had to admit it was some great sleep, she felt so utterly relaxed and safe when she woke up. Right before the wild panic of waking up in Regina's house and assuming she'd been drugged.

Her stomach growled at the thought of another of those delicious croissants and the probably homemade jam, she smiled despite the situation, who knew the older woman was so genuinely domestic. Sure Regina had always given that impression while she was Mayor but Emma had always thought that was part of the ingenious disguise, to be just another housewife, just another Mom. But it turned out that Regina really was insanely domestic, she baked, gardened, made jam, Grace's little socks looked homemade. Somehow the thought comforted Emma more than in it confused her.

Doc appeared again and ran down towards the Sheriff, "there's an underground stream!"

Emma raised her eyebrow, "did no one think to look for a river under where you were building?"

"Stream," Doc corrected as if lowering the intensity of the body of water currently eating away at the newly laid foundation would somehow make it better.

"Stream," Emma rolled her eyes, "so, what now?"

"We can't build here," Doc shook his head sadly, "we need to cordon this off to make it safe until we can properly demolish it."

"How dangerous is it?" Emma asked.

Doc made a timid face, "it could all go any moment now."

Emma blinked, "right," she looked up, "and.. if it does?"

Doc showed Emma some scribbled mathematical formula on the blueprints, "I've calculated that, due to the location of the structure, it would only be the after shock wave that could potentially.."

"In English," Emma interrupted.

"Nothing else will be effected," he replied, "there will be a shockwave, like there was this morning, but that shouldn't cause too much damage."

"Shouldn't cause too much damage, eh?" Emma looked at the man. She felt bad for taking her anger out on him but then he was supposed to be the brains of the operation.

He nodded quickly, "it's not even a certainty that it will fall, it just might," he added reassuringly.

"Great," Emma said with false excitement as she turned and opened the trunk of the police cruiser and got out some warning tape, "you're helping me to tape the area off," she told him.


	26. Chapter 26

Regina watched as Grace looked up from her activity mat on the floor and her unfocused eyes attempted to analyse the various, multi-coloured objects hanging above her head. Regina smiled at the memory of Henry doing similar things when the knock on the door told her that the object of her musings had just turned up.

She left the living room and opened the front door and smiled to the boy, "come in, Henry," she said without hesitation and walked back towards the living room. Henry paused for a moment before following Regina into the house, he had again come over under the pretence of moving more items from the garage but it seemed that Regina had uncovered his poorly thought-out ruse.

Regina sat back in the armchair and glanced at Grace and gestured for Henry to sit on the sofa where there was a glass of apple juice and an almond croissant, his favourite, waiting for him.

Henry smiled and quickly sat down and asked, "did you feel that earthquake this morning?"

"Indeed we did," Regina slipped, meaning herself and Emma but hoping Henry would think she was referring to herself and Grace instead.

"I think Emma went to investigate, she didn't come home this morning," Henry said with a hint of sadness.

"Most likely, if she was on duty at the time," Regina replied.

"Mom," Henry said slowly as he picked at the remaining half of his croissant, the first half devoured, "I'm.. worried about Emma."

"I know, Henry.. as am I," Regina admitted.

Henry seemed a little surprised by the comment but quickly reflected on all the times Regina had asked Henry as to Emma's wellbeing and he mentally shrugged it off, "she works all the time and she never sleeps, when she does it's just quarter of an hour on the sofa."

Regina gently worried the inside of her cheek, she didn't want to lie to Henry so she nodded, "she came here last night and fell asleep on the sofa, so at least I can inform you she slept well for at least six hours last night."

Henry seemed pleased with this and casually asked, "why was she here?"

"She stopped in during her patrol," Regina gave half the story, "Henry.. I need to talk to you about, well, about the legal changes."

Henry put the plate and the croissant down, he had been expecting this moment to come, "okay," she said quietly.

"I need you to understand why I did what I did," Regina said seriously though kindly.

"I get it," Henry shrugged, more in an effort to end the approach of the awkward conversation that through actual understanding.

"No, I don't think you do," Regina shook her head softly, "Henry, I did what I did for you, because I honestly believed, and believe, that you will be happier with Emma."

Henry didn't reply, instead he chose to fix his eyes firmly on Grace as she played happily on the floor between them.

"After.. the curse," she still hesitated to talk about it, "we didn't see each other for a long time. You made it very clear where you wanted to be and who you wanted to be with.. and.." she didn't know if she should be pressuring an eleven year old with this kind of conversation but she was desperate for him to understand. She couldn't stand the thought of him feeling in anyway as Emma did.

"I love you, I have never stopped loving you, but sometimes when you really love someone you have to do something that is right for them but not right for you," Regina explained carefully.

"How is giving me up good for anyone?" Henry asked quietly.

"I wasn't giving you up, Henry," Regina whispered, "I was ensuring that Emma had the legal rights she needed in order for you to permanently stay with her. So she could make grown up decisions regarding your life, your health, your school. That piece of paper who says who your legal guardian is.. it's very important in this world. You'll always be my Henry, in here," she touched her chest.

"Why didn't you just talk to me?" Henry said sadly.

"I.. I was a coward," Regina admitted, "I felt.." she laughed sadly as she realised her own feelings at the time now she had to put it into words for him, "I felt abandoned actually. I felt alone and I knew that you didn't want anything to do with me so I.. made a decision.. one which I still honestly believe is the right decision."

"I'm sorry," Henry whispered, "I didn't want you to feel like that, I was.. angry," he looked at her with fierce eyes, "you made me think I was going crazy."

"I know, and there's no excuse for what I did," Regina said softly, "I'm sorry, I know it's not enough but I am sorry."

"I think I understand why you did it," he said considerately before adding, "but I don't think it worked."

Regina frowned, "what do you mean?"

"You wanted to give me my best chance, give everyone what they wanted but now everyone is miserable," he claimed.

"Henry," she started.

"No, it's true," he cut her off, "I want to see you, I want things to go back to the way they were before."

"Oh, Henry, that's just not possible," Regina looked at him with sad eyes.

"Why not?" Henry argued, "I lived with Emma when you were my Mom, why can't I live with you when she's my Mom?"

"I think Emma needs you, Henry. Now more than ever," Regina admitted.

"She doesn't act like it, I hardly ever see her and when I do she's weird," Henry shook his head.

"Weird how?" Regina frowned.

"Like all fake happy," he explained.

Regina nodded, "well, be that as it may, things will get better. We all need time to adjust to these new roles."

"You're drinking something to make you forget me," Henry pointed out and Regina paused for a moment, wondering how he knew that.

"I.. am," she admitted, "I am. I couldn't have let you go without it."

Henry looked at her with a sad smile, "I love you, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't say it enough before, I'm sorry I got mad but I do love you," he stood up and took some crumpled pieces of paper from his pocket and threw them into her lap, "for your jar," he said as he quickly ran from the house.

"Henry!" Regina called out as she attempted to pick up the bits of paper and follow him but it was too late and she heard the door slam behind him.


	27. Chapter 27

Henry sped down the middle of the road on his bike not giving a damn about the occasional car or pedestrian crossing the road. All he could think about what getting away from Regina so he could have some time to think, he was so confused about everything that had been happening and he couldn't full comprehend this new relationship he had with the older woman.

He knew he had been immature and hurtful, he should have gone back to see Regina after the curse had broken to try to talk with her and figure things out. Emma had told him many times that running away from his problems was not the answer but he knew he had run away from Regina. He had begged and pleaded with both Emma and Mary Margaret to not make him go back to the mansion and to not have to see her. He had told them he hated Regina but the truth was he was terrified of speaking to her again, he didn't know what to say, he couldn't understand the opposing feelings of love and hatred that filled him.

But as time had gone on it became harder and harder to mend the broken relationship, he was frightened that Regina would somehow force him to go and live with her and he knew that Emma would fight for him. He didn't want the women to fight because he knew, despite Emma being the Saviour, Regina would win any battle in a flurry of fireballs.

So it had continued, between his fear of speaking with Regina, his confusion of his feelings and his desire to keep the peace he had kept away from the woman who had raised him for the last ten years. The woman he loved as a mother. Not that that took anything away from Emma, who he also thought of as his mother just in a different way.

He always thought that one day he would be feeling particularly brave and he would bump into Regina in the town and he would just smile and hug him and he would hug her in return and everything would go back to the way it was. In his heart he knew that was completely unrealistic but it was an easy dream to maintain when the alternative was facing all his fears head on.

But the day didn't come and the legal paperwork did and then Grace. Henry began to understand the meaning of hindsight for the first time in his short life, the idea that if you had your time again you would have chosen differently. He often dreamt about going to see Regina a week or two after the curse, once all the death threats and drama had died down. In his dream they simply hugged and then he helped her cook his favourite meal, they watched a movie and then he went to bed in his old room.

Sometimes those dreams morphed into nightmares where he walked into his room to see Grace's ornate crib that he had heard of but not seen with his own eyes. He would turn to Regina and she would tell him that he didn't live there anymore and that he had to leave.

At first he had only wanted to see Regina again, he thought that some of the pain would go away if he could just see her now and then. If he could pretend that he was fine with everything and that he was just going about his life. But soon he knew that he had to do more, after a more intense nightmare he found he missed her powerfully and remembered when he was young and would suffer from terrible nightmares.

At first he would sleep in her bed after he had a nightmare, some nights he would ask to start out sleeping in her bed. She would read soft, gentle stories to him before he went to sleep in an effort to soothe his dreams, sometimes it worked but on the nights when it didn't she would quickly lull him back into a peaceful and safe dream world.

One day she presented him with a jam jar as if it was a precious heirloom. He held it in his hands with confusion as she explained that it was a magic jam jar that kept bad thoughts at bay, all he would have to do was write down the details of the nightmare and put it in the jam jar and screw the lid on tightly. It would keep all of the bad thoughts at bay.

He had wanted to use a similar technique to prevent good thoughts from getting away from both himself and from Regina and so every evening he sat down and wrote notes about their life together. He wrote each one twice, one he put in a jar under his bed and one he gave to Regina and hoped that she was reading them. He could see that the jar in the hallway was slowly filling up but he had never seen her read one.

The sound of a police siren behind him made him turn around and he saw Emma glaring at him angrily and pointing to the side of the road, he pulled over and came to a stop. A second later Emma was out of the car and fast approaching him, "Henry, what were you thinking?!"

Before he had a chance to answer Emma pulled him awkwardly into a big hug despite the fact he still straddled his bike, "you ran through two red lights and you weren't even looking," Emma admonished him while holding him close before pulling herself away and kneeling in front of him.

She stared at him, willing him, begging him to listen and understand what she was about to say, "Henry, you need to be careful, you understand? You can't go riding your bike down the street like that, you could get hurt or.. worse.. and I can't lose you, do you understand? You need to be safe, okay?"

Henry nodded, "I'm sorry," he mumbled emotionally and Emma quickly stood up and pulled him into another tight hug.

She stood up and looked around the empty street, Henry had breezed right through main town and was now in the quieter end of the town, "take your bike home and we'll go to Granny's for lunch okay?"

"Really?" Henry smiled happily and Emma realised it was a while since they had done anything like that.

"Really, ride home, on the sidewalk, slowly, carefully," she told him with a glare, "I need to do a couple of things, I'll.. I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Okay," he smiled and looked up and down the street before turning around and cycling back up the road towards town.

Emma watched him leave and when she was sure he wasn't going to turn and look at her she quickly walked down a nearby alleyway and leant heavily against the wall as frightened tears fell heavily down her cheeks. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest and her body was shaking and she knew she was having a panic attack, she attempted to control her breathing but she was too far gone and she slid harshly down the dirty brick wall until she was sat with her knees around her chest. She was sweating a cold sweat in the chilly air and looked to the side to check no one was around.

With as deep a breath as she could take in she hugged her knees and waited for the now-common attack to subside.


	28. Chapter 28

That evening Emma sat in the Sheriff's office checking through the reports her deputies had submitted, she'd already checked them before but she had an urge to check them again.

The phone on the desk rang and Emma quickly answered it, "Sheriff's Department."

"Miss Swan," Regina drawled down the phone and Emma couldn't help but smile, "there's another damn intruder in my garden."

"Oh really?" Emma laughed, "why don't you zap them with a fireball?"

"I wouldn't want to singe my azaleas," Regina remarked.

"Is that a euphemism?" Emma breathed sexily down the phone for a joke.

"Just get over here, maybe you could actually have a cup of tea this time rather than falling unconscious on my furniture," Regina commanded but it lacked any bite.

"I can't really spend tax payer's money sipping tea with you," Emma sighed, she'd decided that, as nice as it had been, she couldn't go down this road with Regina. She couldn't risk showing weakness to the woman, no matter how kind she had been. Emma feared losing the loose control she had over her emotions and she was terrified that if she started to let go she wouldn't ever be able to be whole again.

"Grace misses you," Regina announced, "she's been speaking of nothing else all day."

"Oh really?" Emma was enjoying the banter, "she's advanced for a five month old."

"Nearly six now," Regina said, "and of course she's advanced, she's my daughter."

"So modest," Emma chuckled.

"That intruder is getting closer to the house," Regina said with boredom, "they look terrifically frightening."

"Oh yes?" Emma leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the desk.

"Yes, big teeth," Regina said.

"Aww, they're smiling at you?" Emma asked.

"No, I think they intend to eat Grace," Regina commented, "I'm surprised you're not taking this more seriously. There is a cannibal in my garden and you're making jokes."

"Throw a leg of lamb out there, that will keep it going for a while," Emma suggested playfully.

"It's in the freezer," Regina returned.

"Well then, throw that at it and it will knock it out," Emma laughed.

"I've got a terrible aim," Regina sighed.

"Are you admitting to be bad at something?" Emma quipped.

"Yes, throwing frozen legs of lamb at cannibals, it's my Achilles heel," Regina said dryly.

"Wish I'd known that my first couple of weeks in town," Emma laughed.

"Oh, you've defeated me now, dear," Regina chuckled, "now I'll tell you all my secrets."

Emma's breath hitched as she detected the truth in Regina's light tone, "so, erm, how's the cannibal getting on?"

"Gnawing at the back door handle, shouldn't you be speeding around here with sirens and screeching tyres?" Regina questioned.

"I can't, Regina," Emma breathed, "I have work to do.."

"Very well," Regina replied softly, "those Storybrooke tax payers are lucky to have such a dedicated Sheriff."

Emma smiled, "goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Emma," Regina's voice was soft and Emma held the phone to her ear long enough to hear the disconnection tone and then replaced the receiver and sighed.

She quickly stood up and paced the room before grabbing her coat and keys and walking down the corridor, as she approached the doors to the Sheriff's station she heard a noise and immediately she was on full alert. She pressed her back up to the wall and crept down the darkened corridor as she realised the sound was coming from outside. Once she was at the glass doors to the station she peaked around the corner to see someone in a dark hoodie spray painting the outside wall.

"Hey!" Emma shouted as she sprung from the station quickly.

The shock of her appearance caused the hood to fall and she quickly realised it was a boy in his early teens but as soon as she realised that he took off running. She knew she would lose him by the time she got in the car so she decided to chase him on foot and quickly followed him down an alleyway and over a chain link fence. He'd had a reasonable head start and used it to his advantage by quickly weaving in and out of people's gardens and across alleyways that Emma hardly knew but she kept him in sight all the way.

Suddenly they were on the edge of town and Emma was worried he would head for the woods and she didn't want the teenager to go running in there on his own, "wait," she shouted through panting breaths but he ignored her. He speed up and headed towards the condemned apartment block, "no, it's not safe!" Emma shouted after him.

The teen jumped over the police tape and then leapt up and through the plastic sheeting into the building site. Emma stopped by the police tape, not wanting to push him, "look, I'm not going to arrest you, you have to come out, it's dangerous!"

She could hear the sound of the teen moving around in the building site and but she couldn't see anything in the muted darkness, her only light was the moon and that wasn't helping much so she used the small torch that was attached to her keys to illuminate the site.

A crack and a creaking noise came from the building and she held her breath as if that would help to steady the structure, "you need to stop moving," Emma called out.

She waited quietly whilst peering into the darkness in the hope that she would hear or see something but suddenly she heard more movement inside followed by a low rumbling sound suddenly she heard the boy shout out in pain. She lifted the police tape and ran towards the area where she'd last heard noise.

"Help, please!"

Emma focused on the cries for help and lifted up a piece of plastic sheeting and climbed into the building site. In front of her she could see that a large chunk of concrete, about the size of her Bug had fallen into a sinkhole underneath the concrete foundation and the teen was holding onto a crumbling piece of concrete on the edge of the whole, his legs dangling over the edge.

"Please help me," he whispered to her in terror.

"Hold on," she said calmly as she edged her way around the hole and knelt down and reached forward for his hand. She could hear the underground stream that Doc had mentioned, the water was rushing below her and although she couldn't see it in the darkness of the hole she knew the current must be strong.

He was struggling to reach for her outstretched hand and she leaned forward some more and managed to grasp his fingers, with an extra push she caught his hand and pulled him up. When he was halfway up he started to run to get away from the hole and it caused the crumbling concrete to give way.

"Stop!" Emma cried but he wouldn't and pulled harder on her wrist to keep from falling. Suddenly she was pitching forward and he grabbed at her arm to pull himself to safety while she slide onto the unstable concrete that was beginning to crumble into the hole.

With their positions reversed Emma gripped onto the concrete that was rapidly disappearing from under her fingers and she looked at the boy with beseeching eyes, "please," she whispered as she slipped a bit further into the gap.

The boy stood by the hole and looked at her, "I'm sorry, if my dad finds out that I'm in trouble with the police he'll beat me again," he took a shaky step back.

"Please," Emma begged but he turned and ran, the heavy footstep causing the already unstable concrete to crack and the lifeline that Emma was holding on to fell away from the rest of the structure and she fell into the darkness.


	29. Chapter 29

"Come on, Henry, time for school," Ruby knocked on Henry's bedroom door and then muttered, "and work.."

Henry opened the door and stood before the brunette in his school uniform with his rucksack on his back, fully ready for the day ahead.

"Whoa," Ruby laughed, "keen much?"

Henry shrugged, "I couldn't sleep.. where's Emma?"

Ruby walked with him into the living room and started to gather her things, "she's not called so I assume she's in the middle of something, breakfast at Granny's?"

Henry narrowed his eyes at her, "you're not telling me something.."

"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked nervously.

"What's going on, Ruby?" Henry looked around the apartment as if hunting for clues as to what was being kept from him.

Ruby knew he'd find her out in seconds and had told David as much so she knelt down in front of him and put a comforting hand on his forearm as she said, "I'm sure it's nothing but Emma's missing."

Henry's eyes flew wide open and he let out a gasp of breath.

"It's okay," Ruby assured him, "we think she's out working but we can't get her on her phone. When David arrived for the morning shift she wasn't in the office but she's probably just tied up on a call somewhere."

Henry worried his bottom lip and nodded before stating, "I don't want to go to school, I want to help look for her."

"I'm sorry, Henry," Ruby nodded her understanding, "I know you want to help out but it's probably nothing and you can't miss school over nothing."

"But she's missing," Henry implored the waitress.

Ruby sighed, "look, let's get some breakfast at the diner and then we'll call Mary Margaret or David and see what is happening and we'll make a decision from there, does that sound okay?"

Henry nodded and followed Ruby out of the apartment.

In the Sheriff's office Mary Margaret was pacing the main office while David sat anxiously on the top of a desk watching his wife.

"It doesn't make any sense," Mary Margaret announced, "where could she be if both cars are parked outside."

"I know," David pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve the stress that was building up, "she's definitely not in the building, I've checked everywhere. And Sean is out looking and casually speaking to people."

"Why casually?" Mary Margaret frowned.

"We don't want to create panic," David told her gently, "people will start to worry if the Saviour is missing."

"My daughter is missing," Mary Margaret angrily intoned.

"Snow, we don't even know if she is missing," David tried to calm her, "she might have gone for a walk and lost track of time."

"She might be.." Mary Margaret's voice hitched as she hesitated to even finish the sentence.

David slid off of the desk and quickly pulled her into a reassuring hold, "look, I got here at six and she wasn't here," he looked at the clock, "it's only eight, that's two hours, I'm sure everything is fine."

"Two hours if she went missing at six, what if something happened to her at ten last night? What if it's ten hours?" Mary Margaret pointed out shakily.

David smiled and held her by her shoulders and looked at her with a reassuring face, "I'm sure everything is fine, we're just taking precautions. You know Emma, she's probably gone for a walk or she's at someone's house or she's fallen asleep, it could be anything. Right now we need to keep panic to a minimum, why don't you go to the diner and try to catch Henry before school?"

Mary Margaret nodded sadly, "yes, I better, Henry will have seen right through Ruby so he's bound to have questions."

"Exactly," David smiled, "he'll need to be reassured."

Mary Margaret gave him a hug and then kissed his cheek, "find her, David, find her quickly."

He nodded and watched as the pixie haired brunette left the office, once she was gone he sighed and ran a hand through his hair with worry. He picked up his radio, "Sean, anything?"

After a moment Sean's voice crackled to life through the speaker, "nothing, no sign of her, no one has seen her all night."

David flopped into a chair and grasped the radio with both hands and leant his forehead on the device.

"I'm sure she's fine," Sean replied down the line, attempting to convince David in much the same way he had tried to convince Mary Margaret.

"Keep looking," David ordered as he rubbed tiredly at his eyes. He put the radio down and at the same moment his mobile phone rang, he rushed to get it out of the coat that was hanging on the back of a chair in case it was Emma.

He looked at the screen and saw it was Mary Margaret, "hello?"

"Henry's missing," Mary Margaret told him quickly, "he was in the diner with Ruby and said he was going to the bathroom but he's gone.."

"Does he know about Emma being missing?" David quizzed as he picked up his coat and started walking out of the station.

"Yes, he knew something was up," Mary Margaret said and he could hear Ruby apologising in the background.

"It's okay," David said confidently, "I'm on my way now."


	30. Chapter 30

Henry ran up the path of 108 Mifflin Street with a tear soaked face and quickly hammered on the door and then bent forward as he panted to catch his breath. After a few moments he heard the front door and Regina spoke, "Henry.."

Before she could say anything else he stood up and looked at her and watched her face turn to shock as she saw the tears streaking down his face, "Emma is missing," he blurted out.

Her facial expression changed again, this time to confusion, "missing?"

Henry could hear the sound of a car coming and turned to see David's pickup truck park outside the mansion so he quickly turned to Regina, "she's missing, I know something is wrong, please help to find her."

"Henry!" Mary Margaret was running up the path with David close behind her, she grabbed the boy and pulled him close and squeezed him, "I was so worried!"

Henry fidgeted in the grasp, "it's Emma we should be worried about," he pressed.

David caught up to them, "it's okay, Henry, Ruby's on the case. With her sense of smell she'll easily be able to track Emma down."

Henry pulled out of Mary Margaret's embrace and shook his head, "no, because she doesn't know where to start and Emma's scent will be everywhere! She's the Sheriff, she does patrols so how will Ruby know where to look," he turned to look at Regina firmly, "you have to find her."

"Henry.." Regina started calmly.

"No.. I know you can do it," he said, "you must have some magic that can find her."

"Henry," she said a little louder this time, "if you'd let me finish you'd hear me say that of course I will help to find her."

Regina looked back in the house at Grace who was still in her chair on the dining room table where Regina had been eating breakfast. She gestured for them to all enter the house, "I will perform a locating spell, I need something of Emma's to do so. And then," she turned to look at the three of them, "Snow, you will remain here with Henry and Grace, David and I will find Emma. Is that understood?"

They all nodded and David and Mary Margaret looked at each other and started to look through their pockets.

"What are you doing?" Regina frowned at them.

"Looking for something of Emma's," Mary Margaret replied as she check through sweet wrappers and receipts in her pocket.

Regina covered her face with her hand and muttered, "unbelievable."

"I don't have anything," David told Mary Margaret but looked up with Regina coughed.

Mary Margaret and David looked at the older woman who was standing with Henry in front of her, her hands on his shoulders, "may I introduce you to your grandson, for the purposes of this spell, something of Emma's."

Henry smiled happily Regina gently turned him around and knelt in front of him and held his hand and looked up at his face, "Henry, firstly, it was very wrong to run away like that, you can't do that, okay?"

Henry recognised the serious tone and nodded sincerely and Regina continued, "there's a bond between you and Emma, when you think of her there is an emotion within you, you probably don't even know you're doing it. I need you to think of Emma and I'm going to be able to feel that emotion and then I should be able to use it to track her, okay?"

Henry nodded and Regina closed her eyes and held both of his hands, he looked down at her and smiled before closing his eyes and thinking about Emma as hard as he could. He focused on the mental image of her he had in his mind, he thought about her speech, her scent, her laugh. He pushed with all of his might to focus on her and suddenly Regina stood up, he opened his eyes and he could see a tiny purple fleck in both her eyes.

She turned to David, "let's go," she told him in a tone that held no argument and he quickly turned opened the front door and she breezed through it and walked down the path.

Mary Margaret put her arm around Henry and pulled him tightly to her, "well done, Henry," she smiled down at him.

Regina stood by the pickup truck and looked left and then right up the street and then gestured to the truck, "drive," she ordered David and he nodded and quickly opened the door for her to climb in. Once she was in he slammed the door and sprinted to the other side and climbed in and started the truck.

"Which way," he questioned hesitantly, he could tell Regina was desperately trying to hold on to the feeling. Like someone who was attempting to remember a long telephone number while searching for a pen.

"Any," she said softly, "I'll know when we start moving."

He started the truck and drove off down the street, at the end of the road he made an executive decision and turned left and started to take a series of roads in different directions. He didn't know exactly how the spell worked but he could tell that it was similar to a magnet and time was of the essence.

"This way," Regina said in a haze and raised a perfectly manicured finger to point to David's left.

He turned up the next available street and Regina nodded, "yes, this direction.."

They passed through a few roads before Regina started to shake her head, "no," she breathed, "this is wrong."

"Shall I try turning right?" David asked.

"Yes," Regina said as she moved her head but seemingly couldn't see the streets of Storybrooke but something else instead.

David drove on looking for the next right hand turn and Regina frowned, "turn right," she told him.

"I will, at the next turn," he replied and that sealed it for him that Regina could no longer see what he could see. He turned right and began to speed up and Regina nodded again, "yes, definitely this way."

"Towards the edge of town," he commented, "maybe she is in the woods."

"Maybe," Regina commented softly, "I'm starting to lose the trail.."

"Do we need Henry again?" David asked as he put his foot down and drove a little faster.

"No," Regina shook her head, "it's my magic draining.. I won't be able to cast this spell again for a number of hours."

David had never understood how magic worked, he'd never needed to and he'd never had anyone to ask, "so magic isn't limitless? It does run out?"

"It does here," Regina sighed, "much like my patience."

David laughed at the snark in Regina's tone, "sorry," he said through a wide smile.

"Stop the car," Regina said as they approached the edge of the woods. David stopped the truck and almost before it came to a complete halt Regina had scrabbled to find the handle and was out of the vehicle and walking in the road with a frown as if attempting to decide on a direction.

David hurried around the truck and watched her turned in circles and kept his arms up, ready to steady her if she fell.

"This way," she pointed and headed off up the road.

David rushed in front of her and held his arms out to stop the odd car that was driving in the road and to direct them around Regina as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. She suddenly turned towards the unsafe apartment building site and David quickly raised the police barrier for her as she approached it.

"She's here," Regina whispered, "where are we?"

She was still walking forward and was getting closer to structure so David gently held her arm by the elbow, "you can't go in there, it's dangerous."

The spell broke and Regina blinked a few times and fell against David with a heavy weight and he quickly put a steadying arm around her as she looked around in confusion before seeing the dangerous construction site, "she's here, David," she whispered as she attempted to get her energy back.


	31. Chapter 31

David looked from Regina to the building site, he didn't want to leave her but he wanted to see if he could find Emma too.

Regina could see his struggle and released herself from his hold and stood by herself, if a little shaky, "I'm fine, go," she said breathily.

He gave her one last look before nodding and pulling out his radio, "Sean, I'm with Regina, we're at the condemned apartments and we think Emma is inside."

A few moments later Sean's voice replied, "I'm on my way."

As he turned to enter the building site Regina grabbed his arm and he turned and looked at her with confusion, "after you find her, safe and well, you and I are going to have a long and heated discussion about using dwarves as builders."

David swallowed nervously and Regina let him go and he climbed up into the building site. She let out a shaky breath and walked away from the building site and towards the road, ducking under the police tape as she went. In the distance she saw the Sheriff's cruiser racing towards her and it came to a skidding halt beside her.

"Where's David?" Sean asked her as he jumped out of the car.

"Inside," Regina said as she sat back and leaned on the front of the car.

Sean looked from the building site to Regina hesitantly. They had had literally no contact before or since the curse broke, sure he'd heard a lot about her, especially working with David and Emma, but he knew nothing about the woman personally. He didn't know what to expect from her or what was expected from him but he did know she looked exhausted and like she was struggling to stand up.

"I have some water in the car, should I get it for you?" Sean asked her.

Regina looked at him in surprise but slowly nodded, "thank you."

He opened the driver's door and picked up a sealed bottle of water and stood up, he untwisted the cap in front of Regina and handed the bottle to her. She gratefully took it and drank delicate sips from it with a shaky hand.

"Would you like to sit in the car?" Sean asked.

"No," Regina shook her head and looked back towards the building site.

David jumped down from the building site and ran towards them, he was covered in building dust and was attempting to wipe it from his eyes and face, "get the rope out of the car," he told Sean.

"You've found her?" Regina asked hopefully.

"No," he shook his head, "there's.. a crack, a hole, in the ground, as big as a car," he took something out of his pocket and handed it to Regina. She took the set of keys with a silver star attached and a small torch and she recognised them as Emma's.

Sean handed him the rope and David pointed to the keys, "they were by the hole."

"Can you see down there?" Regina demanded.

"There's an underground stream, quite powerful," he wiped at his face again to remove the sweat and dust from his forehead, "I need to climb down there."

"I'll come with you," Sean offered.

"Wait a minute," Regina put the bottle of water on the bonnet of the car and held up her hands, "the building is unsafe, too much movement is going to cause a further collapse. You can't just go in there and tie a piece of rope to a pillar and abseil down."

"My daughter is down there!" David shouted back.

"So you want to die down there with her, well, bravo," Regina said and shook her head.

"What do you suggest?" Sean asked Regina, attempting to keep the peace between the two.

Regina thought for a moment before announcing, "I'll have to go down there."

David started to argue that her plan was basically the same as his but Regina shook her head and finished, "with magic. If I can stand by the hole I can use magic to get myself down there."

"You could barely stand five minutes ago," Sean pointed out.

"And there's a strong current down there," David followed up.

"Get me a radio," Regina demanded and Sean reached into the car again to get one. Regina waved her hand and her white shirt and black trousers and jacket combo changed into dark blue jeans with black wellington boots and a long sleeved black sweater. Sean hadn't seen the transformation as his head had been in the car so he stared at her in confusion as he handed her the radio.

"Where's this gap?" Regina said as she snatched the radio from Sean and began stalking up towards the building site.

David followed her, "I'll show you."

"No," she shook her head, "my understanding is that this structure is very unstable, two of us will double the chance of further damage."

He knew she was right so he nodded, "fine, as you climb up here you walk to the right, there's a fallen beam and if you crouch under that and then take a left around the wall you'll see it there."

They approached the plastic sheeting and Regina leaned in close to speak to David so Sean couldn't hear, if she was going to have to display any sign of weakness she was damn sure only going to do it to the one person.

"My magic.. is depleted," she admitted, "the power will be restored but it may take some time. This will not be a.. fast.. process. I will attempt to contact you through the radio but if you don't hear from me it could be the depth or the density of the rocks."

"Okay," David nodded but looked at Regina sceptically as he knew there was something else.

Regina took a deep breath, "magic is.. is me. It's my.. soul, if you will. Using magic when you are.." she bit out the word, "weak.. it can be dangerous."

David's eyes flashed with concern but she continued before he could say anything, "I'm going to use magic to get down there and I'm going to attempt to use magic to both of us back here.. but, if anything happens to me.. if.." she rolled her eyes, "if you can't wake me, you need to call Rumple. Do you understand?"

"Regina, are you sure you want to do this?" David asked her beseechingly.

"David, do you understand?" Regina glared at him defiantly.

"Yes," he said and at her continued glare he added, "lots of magic, if you lose consciousness we call Gold."

She nodded and climbed up onto the concrete plinth and looked back at him, "give me one hour before you start any of your ridiculous Charming heroics."


	32. Chapter 32

Regina looked at the chaos within the building site with a roll of the eyes, concrete pillars had collapsed and fallen into one another, the concrete floor had hairline cracks throughout and the whole structure was listing dangerously.

"Bloody dwarves," Regina muttered as she bent down to get under a fallen beam, "why couldn't they have stuck to wood? They understand wood."

She continued until she saw the hole and her eyes opened wide in shock. David hadn't been exaggerating when he claimed it was the size of a car, it looked like a bomb had gone off and a giant uneven slap of concrete had fallen into darkness. She could see the edges of the hole were uneven and dangerous so she stood as close as she dared and peered into the hole. She could hear the rushing water but she had no idea how far down it was, how deep it was or how strong the current was. Magic or not this would going to be an estimated gamble.

She took a few deep, steadying breaths while she prepared herself and then she splayed her fingers of both her hands, simultaneously taking a deep breath and lifting her head up in case the water level was high.

Meanwhile, outside the building site David paced in front of the Sheriff's car while Sean sat on the bonnet watching him.

"David, it's been five minutes, if you're going to do that for the next fifty five you'll be too dizzy to help," Sean pointed out.

"I just.. I feel like I have to do something," David explained.

"Well, pacing a new hole in the middle of the road isn't going to help," Sean observed.

David folded his arms and leant on the bonnet of the car and frowned as he continued to think of other rescue techniques that wouldn't make matters worse.

"Why is she helping anyway?" Sean asked.

"Regina?" David queried.

"Yeah, not exactly the Evil Queen's style is it?" Sean hinted.

David smiled, "no, but since Henry.. they kinda get along."

"But Henry isn't her kid anymore," Sean said and David looked up at him sharply, "I mean he obviously is but Regina doesn't see it that way if she changed the adoption order. So.."

"Henry asked her to help," David explained with a shrug.

"She seemed a bit keen to go down a big black hole in the ground if you ask me," Sean observed.

"Maybe she's trying to be a better person, looking for redemption for her crimes," David went on.

"Sure," Sean said with a shake of the head, "that's all it is."

It wasn't Regina's smoothest of landings and she had to admit she was glad that no one was around to see it. Deciding to glide down she had quickly entered the water, luckily only up to her shins, but the rocky bed of the stream had caught her off guard in the darkness and she had stumbled into the wall.

She pushed herself away from the wall of the cavern and found a solid footing and then conjured a fireball in her hand to light the area. Once her eyes adjusted to the bright light in the dark space she could see that the cavern was long, longer than she could see in either direction. It was pitch black, the ceiling rose to twice her height and the walls ranged from being one metre to three metres. The water rushed along at a strong pace, the depth may have only been thirty centimetres but it was easily enough to create a current.

She looked up at the hole above her and examined the edges for any clues, some torn clothing or some blood but found nothing. She looked around and again couldn't see anything.

"Emma?" Regina called tentatively, she didn't want to shout and cause a cave in.

"If you're not down here," she muttered to herself, "and I'm down here for nothing.. you will wish you were dead."

She looked again at the walls of the cavern and at the floor, it was extremely rocky and she considered that if Emma had fallen through the hole there was a good chance that she hit something on the way down. Regina looked up in the direction the current was travelling and decided that if Emma had hit something she could have lost consciousness and been dragged along with the current. Otherwise the blonde would surely have stayed at the bottom of the hole to await rescue.

She started to walk carefully forward, mindful of the uneven ground as well as the varying depths of water and the current. When the river started to turn to the left she went with it, lighting her way with a small fireball. Suddenly she saw something in the distance reflecting off of the light she was casting and she picked up the pace, "Emma?"

There was no answer but she had definitely seem something glimmer and she rushed forward until she finally saw the blonde woman on the ground. She cast the fireball to float in the air above them to light up the area and she bent down beside Emma and looked at her. A large gash to Emma's forehead was the first thing she saw, the blonde was out cold and her usually pale skin was now a deathly white and Regina quickly felt for a pulse on Emma's neck.

She looked down at Emma's body which was arranged in an uncomfortable looking manner and it looked like she had floated along with the current and then had been beached on a bit of higher ground. She felt the flicking of a pulse and smiled as she pushed damp strands of hair away from the blonde's face, "Emma, can you hear me?"

She could see Emma's eyes moving under her eyelids so she cupped Emma's face with her hand and gave her a very gentle shake, "Emma, wake up."

Her eyelids flicked open and Emma's eyes adjusted to the light before they focused on Regina's face and her cracked lips formed a small smile, "Regina?"

"Yes," Regina smiled happily.

Emma looked around at her surroundings and then back to Regina, "jeez, you really wanted to talk about your cannibal intruder didn't you?"

Regina laughed in relief that Emma seemed to be compos mentis, "we need to get you out of here," she said as she looked around the cavern to try to ascertain how far the walk back would be. She wanted to get as close to the hole as possible so she would need to use the smallest amount of magic to get them both out.

Emma's eyes clouded over and Regina frowned, "what is it?"

Emma didn't answer but there was growing panic in her eyes.

"Emma, talk to me," Regina demanded.

"I.. I can't move," she breathed, "I can't feel my body at all."


	33. Chapter 33

"What do you mean?" Regina's breath hitched.

"I can't feel anything," Emma replied with rising panic, "my God, oh God, oh God, why can't I feel anything," the blonde began to panic and Regina started to look at her body to see if she could ascertain the problem.

Emma attempted to look down at her body but she couldn't move, "I can't move my neck! I can't see my body.. do I still.. do I still have everything?"

"Yes," Regina answered quickly, "I know you're frightened but I need you to calm down so I can figure this out."

"Figure this out?!" Emma cried, "I'm fucking paralysed, what is there to figure out?!"

"I'm going to move your body," Regina said matter-of-factly as she shifted her kneeling position.

"No! Wait! Wait!" Emma cried out and Regina paused and looked at her with a frown.

"You're not supposed to move someone who might have had a spinal injury," Emma said hurriedly, "you could.."

"What? Paralyse them?" Regina retorted and then softened her tone, "Emma, I have magic, if I can figure out the problem I might be able to solve it."

"I think I'd rather see a real doctor," Emma whimpered as Regina made another move forward.

"Oh? You want to see Whale? He'd solve your paralysis, no problem, you'd be a head in a jar of formaldehyde and you'd communicate by blinking once for yes and twice for no, remember who he was, Emma," Regina barked back, the seriousness of the situation not lost on her.

"Can't you be nice Regina? I like nice Regina, she joked about cannibals and made croissants," Emma stalled Regina further.

"Nice Regina drugged you," Regina smirked, "you want that Regina back?"

"I knew it!" Emma spat, "I knew you drugged me!"

"Emma," Regina said calmly, "I'm going to move you, I'm going to gently roll you so I can examine your back but I need you to tell me immediately if you feel anything, okay?"

There was a pause and Regina tried again, "okay?"

Emma laughed a sad, chocked up laugh, "I thought I nodded.. yes, okay.."

Regina nodded and with a wave of her hand she conjured a large white pillow and placed it under Emma's head very gently. She then grabbed Emma's shoulder with one hand and her hip with the other and gently rocked the blonde until she could roll her onto her side. She really began to worry when she realised that Emma was a dead weight beneath her hands, she reached down and lift Emma's leg to keep her body from rolling any further. Once she was certain that Emma's body wasn't going to move and that her head was comfortable she stood up and stepped into the small space behind Emma and looked at the blonde's shirt and jacket covered back.

"Emma," she mumbled softly, "I can't see because of your clothes.. I need to take them off.."

She heard Emma chuckle, "well, good luck, I'll be no help to you.."

"I can use magic," Regina explained, "is that okay?"

"I don't think I have any choice," Emma said quietly, "do what you need to do.."

Regina took a deep breath and waved her hand gently over Emma's body and the jacket and shirt disappeared leaving Emma in just her black bra and tight jeans. Her back, sides and arms were already starting to discolour with the bruises from her initial fall and being dragged along the stream.

But the biggest bruise by far was at the top of Emma's spine, in her neck. The bruise was red and purple and looked swollen and Regina nodded, she had watched enough medical dramas on television to have an understanding of what was happening.

"Emma," Regina said softly, "you remember when I told you that every magical act depletes my magical energy?"

"This doesn't sound good, Regina," Emma replied tersely.

"I can fix your spinal cord, I can see the problem," Regina continued anyway, "but it's going to take a lot of magic to do something like this and.. I'm.. I've already used a lot of magic today."

"Regina, don't.."

"Just listen," Regina sighed, she didn't want to waste valuable energy having this argument, "when I've finished you must take it easy, no running around, no cartwheels. Odds are you will feel absolutely fine but the residual magic will still be repairing the damage and you'll need to allow it to do that. Whatever happens to me."

"What do you mean 'whatever happens to you'?" Emma demanded.

"I may briefly lose consciousness, I will certainly need to rest," Regina explained, "whatever happens just stay still, no Charming heroics."

Emma chuckled, "okay, I promise.."

Regina nodded despite Emma not being able to see her, "this may hurt a little," Regina admitted.

When no answer was forthcoming she took several deep breaths before closing her eyes and floating her hand above Emma's neck. A large wave of purple mist appeared from her fingers and palm and it pulsated directly into the injury. Emma gasped at the feeling and closed her eyes tight in fear and pain.

In Regina's mind she could see the shattered bones in Emma's vertebra and the jagged edges of the spinal cord. Blood was oozing around the damage and Regina used her magic to clear the blood away and started reassembling the bones and knitting them together, she soothed the nerve endings and gently reattached the spinal cord.

Emma screamed at the sensation but Regina carried on working and intensified the amount of magic she was producing and quickly began to reassemble the vertebral bone casing that made up Emma's spine. She placed a healing spell on the area and repaired the damaged blood vessels and then began to feel her magic falter, she broke the connection through fear of further damaging Emma's injuries and then darkness fell over her.


	34. Chapter 34

Regina could hear something. It seemed far away. Or maybe she was far away. Either way the thing she could hear was distant, so she tried to grip onto it with her mind, tried to focus on it and understand it.

"But then the guy was like right up in my face and I had to explain to him that this is how bail works, you'd think he'd know but anyway.. so I'm halfway through giving him a damn legal lesson when the woman turns up, you remember the woman from the club? And I'm like no way do I want to be in the middle of this but no way do I want to miss it either."

"Emma?" Regina whispered.

Suddenly the rambling voice stopped, "Regina, thank God, are you okay?"

Regina opened her eyes and noticed it was pitch black. She realised she was laying down with on a muddy, grainy surface. Emma was beside her, although it was dark the sound of her voice told Regina that Emma was on her side with her back to her.

"Regina?" Emma asked again in panic.

"I'm.. I'm fine," Regina said because that's what she thought she should say. She had no idea if she was fine or not, she was still piecing everything together.

"I was so worried," Emma told her, her tone rough with anger and panic.

"I'm sorry," Regina replied, "I'm.. I'm okay," she tested the theory by sitting up and then she began to remember who she was, where she was and what had happened, "what were you talking about?"

"I was telling you a story, trying to get you to wake up," Emma said and then defensively added, "you wanted me to not move so I didn't but I had to do something, once you I don't know.. whatever you did.. the light went out and you collapsed."

Without thinking Regina conjured another floating fireball to light the cavern and instantly gasped at the strain she felt through doing something relatively simple.

"Are you okay?" Emma cried in panic.

"Yes," Regina said, "sorry, I.." she realised she would be able to comfort Emma a lot more if she could see her. She carefully held onto the wall and stood up and then took a step over Emma and into the running water of the stream and kneeled in front of Emma.

"Hi," Emma smiled.

"Hi," Regina smiled back, "how are you feeling?"

"I can feel everything again but I ache like a mo.. a lot," she replied, "but I can feel, I don't know how I can ever thank you enough."

"Well, you'll have time to think about it," Regina announced with a gloomy expression, "my magic reserves are almost completely drained. I need to rest before I can magic us out of here."

"I can walk," Emma insisted and began to attempt to move but stopped when Regina put her hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"No, you must remain still for at least another hour," Regina said and then realised that she was touching Emma's bare skin. And then she looked at the shivering cold woman in front of her and realised she was still only wearing her bra on top, her skin covered in little bumps from the cold air above and the cold water below.

Regina looked in panic, "your clothes, I vanished them.. I.."

"It's fine, I'm okay," Emma lied easily.

"I don't need your superpower to know that that is a lie," Regina said and quickly took her black long sleeved sweater off leaving herself also in just a black bra.

"Great, now we match," Emma chuckled.

Regina ripped at the seam of the material and tore it down the side and then laid the extended material over Emma's body.

"What about you?" Emma said.

"I'll be fine," Regina replied, "I've not been sat down here for.. how long have you been here?"

Emma frowned, "no idea, when did you phone me?"

Regina thought about it, "around eleven?"

"Say around half eleven then," Emma said casually.

"That's about ten hours," Regina said with a raised eyebrow, "you definitely win the sweater."

"Guess I should have come over to see you instead," Emma smiled.

"Why didn't you?" Regina asked tenderly.

Emma laughed lightly, "I didn't want you to see me weak.."

Regina chuckled, "well, that worked out well for you."

"Yeah," Emma said and her eyes drifted off into a memory before she whispered, "I had a panic attack."

"Down here?" Regina asked.

"No, yesterday lunchtime," Emma explained, "Henry was tearing down the street on his bike and I'd caught him and told him off. Said I'd meet him for lunch at Granny's and then it hit me. I've had them before," she admitted, "I know the sensation before you get one. I sat in an alleyway."

Regina felt her heart clench, "you didn't want to come over in case you had another panic attack?"

"No," Emma shook her head lightly, "I didn't want to come over because you were so nice the last time, you know, when you were nice Regina," she smiled, "and I knew I'd just break down if anyone was nice to me."

"I can't be the only person who's nice to you," Regina shook her head, "you're loved in this town, Emma."

"But you don't need anything from me, you don't expect anything from me. I can be a screw-up and it doesn't matter. I'm not your legal guardian, your boss, your employee, your daughter, your potential Godmother," Emma took a deep breath, "it's just so easy to be with you."

Regina sniggered, "did you ever think you'd say that when you first arrived in town in that monstrosity you call a car?"

Emma laughed too, "no.. how things change, eh?"

Regina nodded and reached up and stroked some hair from Emma's face, "I wanted you to come over because I wanted to see you," Regina admitted, "be that happy, sad, angry, depressed, panic attack or crying. I'm worried about you, Emma. I want to help you, I think I can help you."

"I don't want to be a burden," Emma said and her lip wobbled with unshed tears.

"It may come as a surprise to you," Regina said seriously, "but I don't care about many people in this, or my own world. But for some unknown reason, try as I might to not, I do care about you."

A few tears fell down Emma's face and Regina wiped them away with her thumb, "besides," Regina smiled, "I'm saving your life so you absolutely owe me. You're probably going to have to do everything I tell you for.. well.. the rest of your life, to be anywhere near even."

Emma laughed, "oh really?"

"Yes, so the next time I call about a cannibal I expect sirens and screeching tyres," Regina laughed.

Emma laughed and shivered and Regina's smile faltered, she may have repaired the damage to the blonde's neck but that didn't mean Emma was out of danger yet. She'd been sitting in cold temperatures all night and there were probably other injuries that Regina didn't know about, she knew she had to get them out of there sooner rather than later.

"Emma," Regina started.

"I know that tone.. nothing good comes from that tone," Emma looked at her with sad eyes.

"I'm going to magic us to the surface," Regina announced.

"Are you ready to do that?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina replied honestly.

"Then don't, we can wait," Emma implored her.

"I don't think we can," Regina said.

"Regina, there has to be another way," Emma said.

"You're getting colder and colder and you need to be out of here and in hospital sooner rather than later, my magic is going to take a long time to properly restore itself, longer than we have," Regina reasoned.

"Again, this tone.." Emma started.

"Because we're a way from the entrance I'm going to have to guess where to magic us to," Regina continued, "which uses more magic, but I can do it."

"But?" Emma asked.

"But," Regina took a deep breath, "I'll lose consciousness when we materialise, you'll need to get Gold to revive me."

"What?" Emma tried to sit up and Regina again held her in place, "what if he won't help? What will the price be? Can't someone else.."

"Emma," Regina said sternly, "you must calm down."

Emma stopped fighting Regina and nodded and Regina continued, "he will help you, there will be no deals made, trust me. But it will take a while to revive me, I need to know that you will look out for Grace.."

"Regina.. I.. I can't look after a baby," Emma looked at her with a slow shake of the head, "I know nothing.."

"Your mother has her at the moment, just.. ensure she doesn't send her to another realm in a wardrobe and she'll be fine," Regina said with a half smile.

"How long will it take?" Emma asked, "to revive you?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted, "I've never used this much of my magic before."

Emma nodded her understanding, "it's like the Bug, I always used to drive it with the gas light on, but every time I drove a little bit longer, trying to test it to see how far I could push it."

Regina blinked, "yes, well, thank you for the endearing comparison of myself and that clapped out old heap."

"I'm trying to lighten the situation," Emma replied.

"Remember, you shouldn't move for at least an hour," Regina told her again.

"I promise," Emma nodded seriously.

Regina licked her dry lips and stood up as she took a deep breath and waved her hand causing a cloud of purple mist surrounded them. When the cloud dissipated Emma felt the sun on her face and the grass on her back as she lay in the same position she had been in while in the cavern, even her soft pillow was cushioning her head.

Her relief lasted all of a second until she saw Regina's limp form crash towards the ground right in front of her.


	35. Chapter 35

Emma came around with a start and immediately sat up and looked around in confusion and surprise. Ruby had been standing by her bed and instantly jumped back in shock at the blonde's sudden alertness before smiling widely, "Emma!"

The blonde rested back on her arms as she sat up and looked at Ruby and her infectious smile and smiled back but it was clear she was confused and struggling to piece events together.

"The paramedics brought you in, they had to sedate you because you'd said something about having to remain still," Ruby explained in reply to Emma's confused look, "they said they had to give you enough sedative to fell a horse because you wouldn't stay still, you kept trying to see.."

"Regina!" Emma cried and flung the blankets off of her body to reveal a flowery hospital gown, she looked at it in shock and some revulsion for a split second before attempting to get off the bed. Her right leg gave way underneath her as she stood and she began to fall but luckily Ruby used her quick reactions to step forward and hold her upright.

Ruby helped to sit Emma on the edge of the bed, "you've got to be careful, Doctor Whale says you could still have some injuries from the fall."

"Where's Regina?" Emma ignored what Ruby was telling her about her own health, she needed to know what had happened to the brunette. An image flashed through her mind of Regina falling to the grassy ground beside her with her eyes closed and a thin layer of sweat covering her frighteningly pale face. Something else was trying to assert itself in her brain but she couldn't quite grasp it until it suddenly flooded her memory, "Gold! We have to call Gold!"

Ruby was nodding and trying to still Emma's hands, "he's here."

"What aren't you telling me, Ruby?" Emma looked at her with an uncanny representation of how her son had looked at Ruby earlier that day.

"It looks bad," Ruby admitted quietly, "she hasn't woken up since she's been in here but Whale can't figure out why. He says it's like she's just asleep but can't be woken. Gold is with her but.. I dunno.. he's not as cocky as he usually is."

"I need to see her," Emma struggled to stand again but Ruby held her back down.

"Let me get a wheelchair or something," Ruby said and looked around the ward before walking down the corridor to see if she could find one.

Emma looked around and saw a heart rate monitor, on a tall metal pole with casters on the bottom. She pushed herself off of the bed and dragged her body around the bed and the bedside cabinet and reached out for it. She pulled it closer and then tentatively leaned on it to see if it would support her unbalanced weight and when it did she began to slowly walk out of the ward.

The first thing she noticed was that her leg was truly damaged, everything else felt fine but her right leg seemed uncoordinated and sluggish. She wondered if it was a separate injury to what Regina had healed or if it was a result of her not sitting still for long enough when she had been told to. Either way it was a small price to pay for the lack of total paralysis that she had experienced in the cavern. A shiver ran up her spine at the thought.

She stumbled through some corridors in her search for Regina and suddenly saw Henry sitting nervously in an otherwise empty waiting room.

"Mom!" Henry cried out happily when he saw her, he ran towards her and hugged her tightly around the waist and Emma was glad, not only for the affection but also the extra support in keeping her upright.

"They said you wouldn't be up for hours yet," he mumbled into her hospital gown.

"I don't do well with sedation," she admitted, "where's Regina?"

"Mister Gold is with her," Henry said and pointed to a closed door.

"Why are you on your own?" Emma looked around in annoyance that someone brought him here and left him alone.

"I wanted to stay, Mary Margaret had to take Grace back to the house to get more bottles for her," Henry explained, "and David went with her."

"Right, yes, okay," Emma panicked having only just remembered that baby Grace was in existence, "do you know why Gold is helping your Mom?"

Henry shook his head, "I don't know but they seem friendly lately, they see each other a lot. He looked really worried when he got here, he told me not to worry but he didn't seem sure."

Suddenly the door opened and an exhausted Gold stumbled out and closed the door behind him. He looked up at Emma and raised an eyebrow in surprise, "we'd be in great shape if the Queen was as averse to sleeping as you appear to be, Miss Swan."

"So, she is just asleep?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Figure of speech," he waved his arm as he readjusted his cane and walked over to them. He noticed Emma's grip on the machinery that was not connected to her so simply being used as a crutch, "I suggest you get one of these," he tapped his cane with his fingers, "I have a couple in the shop.."

"How is she?" Emma interrupted.

"She will awaken," he nodded, "whatever she was doing drained a lot of her energy. What was she doing?"

"She saved my life," Emma said proudly and a little for Henry's benefit.

"Well, that I gather," he said with a glance at the blonde, "what did she do that drained all her magic."

"She took my feelings for Emma and used them to find her," Henry pointed out with a smile.

Gold raised an eyebrow in a manner that indicated to Emma that the spell Regina had used was neither conventional nor advisable.

"She healed injuries I had," Emma added, "I.. couldn't feel my body."

Gold nodded at Emma's attempt to not go into too much detail with Henry beside her, "that will do it, healing magic is the most draining. That's why you can't bring anyone back from the dead."

"I thought you couldn't bring anyone back from the dead, because they were dead.." Emma stated.

"No," Gold rolled his eyes at having to have yet another magical introduction class with the uninitiated, "you can't bring someone back from the dead because even the most powerful magic user would never have enough magic in a hundred lifetimes."

"So, healing magic uses a lot of energy?" Henry asked simply.

"A lot," Gold emphasised.

"But she'll be okay?" Emma moved back to a more important topic.

"Yes, as I say, she will awaken," Gold agreed.

"That's quite vague," Emma pointed out.

"That's because I don't know when she will awaken, it could be tonight, it could be next month," he shrugged.

"Next month?!" Henry and Emma exclaimed at the same time.

Gold shook his head at their lack of understanding, "magic," he began, "is life. Your life force dictates how much magic you have and how strong it is. If you use all your magic, you will die. If you nearly use all your magic you will need to heal. No one can say how long that will take, it's individual to each magic user."

"There must be something we can do," Emma pleaded with the man for further information, any form of hope.

"This is one of those occasions when I'm afraid I cannot wave a magic wand, Miss Swan," he shook his head.

"But she told us to call you, she said that you were be able to revive her," Emma pointed out as her memory came back.

"It is true that the healing process can be somewhat.. accelerated.. and that is what I have done," Gold told them, "but even my powers are limited in this world and I have no idea how effective it has been."

"I'm supposed to be the Saviour, can I help?" Emma asked in desperation.

"Your magic is unruly and difficult to manage, I would sincerely doubt that you would be able to assist in the healing process," Gold said with a sigh.

"What about true love's kiss?" Henry asked hopefully.

Gold smiled sadly down at the boy, "that would work if she was cursed, Henry. But she isn't cursed, in effect she is very, very tired. But I'm sure she would still appreciate a kiss from you.. she is effectively asleep so there's a chance she can hear you."


	36. Chapter 36

Emma had only seen Regina's sleeping form for ten minutes before a panicked Ruby and Doctor Whale had located her and insisted that she go and be checked out. She left Henry with Ruby in Regina's room while Whale conducted a number of tests to ascertain her level of health.

After Emma had explained what had happened in the fall and Regina's healing of her injuries he surmised that the problem with her leg was residual nerve damage. He prescribed her pain medication, supplied her with a hospital-issue crutch and informed her that she would need to start physical therapy with immediate effect if she was to get full movement in her leg back. He did begrudgingly advise her that he suspected she would have a full recovery but he still pressed the importance of the therapy in that diagnosis.

Emma had then hobbled back to Regina's room where Mary Margaret and David were now also in the room with Henry and Ruby and Emma somehow felt annoyed at their presence, she wanted to have Regina to herself. She wanted to talk to her, to explain her gratitude and to shout at her for being so damned pig-headed.

Mary Margaret had placed Grace in her chair on the bedside cabinet so Regina could hear her and Grace could see her, even though she was so young no one really knew if she could recognised Regina from that distance. David told the story of how they suddenly appeared near the woods and how he and Sean had run to the rescue, Emma had a vague recollection but nothing much.

Soon Emma began to fidget with her hospital gown and David offered to take her home so she could shower and change. It was only then that Emma realised she was still filthy from the dirty water and the dust and mud in the cavern. She didn't want to leave Regina but she also didn't want Regina to see her in the state she was in when she did wake up so she hesitantly agreed.

She hobbled towards David's truck and she could feel David's eyes on her and could tell he was smiling that wide grin he seemed to always have on his face.

"What?" Emma laughed at him.

"I'm just relieved," he admitted, "you had us all scared there for a while."

"I know, if I'd been conscious I would have been scared too," she admitted as he opened the passenger door of the truck and held his hand out to help her lift herself in.

As soon as David got in the truck he started asking questions and Emma told him what had happened, the spray painting and the teenager, the chase and then the fall. She made him promise to not take any action, she had to consider what she was going to do with the boy in her own time and she didn't want David rushing in.

Once she'd had his agreement she told him about Regina and he filled in the gaps, he told her about the location spell Regina had cast and how they had found Emma. Neither said it but both were surprised and thankful for Regina's actions, it seemed so different and out of character that they didn't really understand it and as they couldn't explain it, they didn't discuss it, merely accepted it.

At Emma's apartment David helped her with the slow ascent of the stairs and said he would wait in the living room while she showered and changed so he could take her back to the hospital when she was ready. He hesitantly hovered around the bathroom door in case Emma needed help until he heard the shower switch on and then he went back into the living room.

He cleared away a few items and then started on the washing up, before long he was drying and putting away the items he had washed and he noticed a light bulb in the dining area was out. He found a replacement bulb and stood on the table to switch out the bulb. He'd noticed the handle on the front door was wobbly so he tightened that and then he hammered down a nail in the wooden floor that was starting to stick up.

When Emma finally returned he had the coffee table upside down and a selection of tools beside him.

"What are you doing?" Emma smiled at him.

"Just a few odd jobs," he said, "this table wobbled, but I think I've sorted it now."

He turned the table over and then gently pushed at it with his index finger on all sides and when he was satisfied that it was no longer wobbling he smiled and stood up with his hands on his hips.

"Did you fix the light?" Emma asked as she looked at the bright new bulb above the dining table.

"Yeah," he replied as he bent down and collected the tools.

Emma beamed happily as she watched him put the tools back where he had found them and she could feel a tiny break in the cold feeling that had been surrounding her chest for the last several days, "thanks, David," she whispered quietly.

"Are you ready to head back?" David asked and she nodded and slowly started to hobble towards the door on her crutch.

"You know," she said as she got to the door, "this is going to get old real fast," she muttered as she looked at the crutch.

Suddenly she was in a warm, strong embrace and she blinked in shock as she put her arm around her father, "hey, it's okay," she whispered to him.

"I know," he said back with tears forming in his eyes, "but it nearly wasn't."

"I'm gonna be fine," she reassured him, "it's Regina we need to worry about."

He laughed and Emma stood back and prepared herself to defend Regina but before she got a chance David said, "Regina is the strongest, most determined and single-minded person I have ever known. I've seen her come back from the absolute worst of situations with a smirk and a sassy comeback, she'll be fine in no time, you mark my words."

From David that was certainly a compliment and Emma smiled as they both left the apartment and slowly made their way down the stairs again. She considered David's words, Regina was all kinds of strong and she couldn't imagine anything getting the better of her. Nothing would keep that woman away from Henry and Grace and Emma had to smile at the thought of it, maybe it was the Charming genes but she also felt the hope and optimism that David did.


	37. Chapter 37

Once they got back to the hospital Emma moved with a determined though slow pace to get back to Regina's room and when they got there Henry was reading to Regina from a book he had found in the waiting room. Emma took a seat on the opposite side of Regina's bed and David gestured for Mary Margaret to step out of the room and talk to him.

As soon as they were outside Mary Margaret frowned at him in an unspoken question of what was in his mind.

"Snow," he started, almost formally. And then paused as he tried to figure out the correct words.

"Charming," she replied with a slight smile.

"I'm not.. great with.." he thought for a moment, "picking up on signals, maybe it's because I'm a man, maybe it's me."

"It's you," Mary Margaret replied without missing a beat, she loved her husband but there were times she had to shout in his face for him to understand her.

He gave her a lopsided grin and ignored her, "today has really opened my eyes to something and.. I want to tell you but I really don't know how you'll take it.."

"You're frightening me, David," Mary Margaret looked at him with worry.

"Regina," he started and Mary Margaret nodded and then he continued, "Emma.."

"What about them?" Mary Margaret tried to hurry him to his point.

"After the curse broke, Emma was adamant that nothing happen to Regina. Remember all the patrols and the standing rows at council meetings?" David asked and Mary Margaret nodded, "and then Regina coming to you to tell you she thought Emma was suffering with severe depression, with abandonment issues?"

Mary Margaret nodded sadly, she hadn't wanted to believe it at the time. She knew something was wrong with Emma but the blonde just wouldn't let her in no matter how she approached her. Mary Margaret had no idea what to do, she wanted to believe that it wasn't as serious as Regina was making it sound, wanted to believe that Emma would go to her mother for support if she needed it.

"Regina just used all of her magic to save Emma's life, she nearly died," David pointed out, "and Emma, she was beside herself with worry when Regina collapsed. I saw how much tranquilizer the paramedics gave her and she kept trying to get up and get to Regina."

"They have a connection," Mary Margaret nodded with her arms folded as she glanced through the blinds into Regina's room to check on everyone.

"Snow," David laughed.

Mary Margaret looked at him with surprise, "what are you laughing at?"

"Snow. Think," he told her and stared at her meaningfully.

Her brow furrowed. Her lips pursed together. The concentration was visible in her eyes. She considered the conversation. Sought out what she had missed. What David was seeing.

Her mouth opened in a gasp and her eyes were as wide as he'd ever seen them and she stood completely still and David smiled, "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Oh," she breathed.

"It makes sense," he said.

"My," she whispered softly as she slowly turned to look through the blinds again.

"I don't think they know themselves," he continued.

"God," Mary Margaret finished in a tone that only dogs could here.

Emma looked up and frowned at Mary Margaret's expression and the brunette quickly grabbed David by the arm and dragged him further up the corridor and out of Emma's line of vision, "Regina," she said.

"Yes," David nodded.

"And Emma," she stuttered.

"Yes," David said, "do you want to sit down?"

"My step mother.. and my daughter," Mary Margaret breathed.

"Some water maybe?" David offered.

"They don't know!" Mary Margaret announced, "they don't know, but what don't they know?"

"Snow, you're not making sense," David held her by the shoulders.

She looked at him, "listen, David, they don't know but do they not know that the other has feelings or do they not even know that they themselves have feelings?"

"I.." David started.

"We have to be so careful," Mary Margaret pulled away from him and started to pace the tiny width of the corridor, "Emma is so fragile right now and Regina, well, you could write a book on Regina's emotional struggles."

"Snow.." David tried again.

"They are perfect for each other," she smiled but then sighed, "but if it goes wrong.. I don't think either of them can survive another failed relationship."

"So.." David watched his wife pace.

"Oh, David, can't you see? Emma and Regina. Together," she looked at him with a smile and he simply shook his head.

"I really have no idea where you're going with this," he finally said.

"It's.." she smiled, "perfect. This is just the kind of healing our family needs. Regina will be loved, by the product of True Love, finally we can start to heal the old wounds and be a real family. Emma will have someone who loves with every fibre of their being. They will both have Henry, Henry will have both mothers, together."

David let out a sigh of relief, he'd seen Emma's face light up when they had been talking about Regina and he had begun to piece everything together. But he'd had no idea how his wife would take the news, her history with Regina had been long, bloodied and emotional and she had a deep love and hate relationship with the older woman. David knew that Mary Margaret had always hoped that peace would be possible, she tormented herself over the mistake she made as a child and despite everything she still loved Regina who had come into her life at a time when she desperately needed companionship and kindness.

"We can't say anything to anyone," Mary Margaret told him, "even them. Because they don't know. We have to stand back and watch this grow, maybe give them a little nudge now and then if they need it but we need to let this evolve naturally so it has it's best chance."

David nodded but he knew his wife and her matchmaking ways, "so, no meddling?"

She looked at him with a determined look, "no meddling, I promise."


	38. Chapter 38

"It's been three days," an exasperated Emma told Mister Gold as he stepped into Regina's hospital room. He looked at her with a faintly amused expression and took in her own tired expression and concerned face.

"I'm well aware of the passage of time, Miss Swan," he curtly informed her as he closed the door behind him and walked to the end of Regina's bed and glanced from the unmoving brunette to the baby that Emma held, "I see you are watching young Grace."

Emma looked confused at the change of subject, "yes, Mary Margaret is watching Henry, we couldn't all be here at all hours."

"I see," he said with as he stuck out his bottom lip with interest and nodded before continuing, "I assume you didn't just ask me to come here for this?"

"There must be something else you can do," Emma pleaded as she stood up from the hospital chair and placed the sleeping baby against her chest with her head resting on Emma's shoulder, "this can't be it. There's always some magical thing.."

"Miss Swan," he sighed, "I thought I explained this perfectly well last time we spoke, there is nothing we can do but wait."

"Regina said you would be able to help," Emma pushed.

"And I did," he replied with a flourish of his hand, "and now we wait, which clearly isn't your strongest asset."

"Could it really be as long as a month?" Emma asked him quietly.

He looked at Regina and then back to Emma, "possibly, possibly more."

"More than a month?" Emma panicked.

"She isn't a car, there's no fuel gauge," Gold explained, "I have no idea what rate her magic is replenishing itself and when she'll be ready to wake up. This is rather new territory for all of us."

"Why are you two suddenly such good friends?" Emma asked him as she glared at him and engaged her superpower.

He seemed startled by that question and tilted his head to one side as she considered his answer, "let's just say I had a change of heart."

"I didn't know you had a heart," Emma looked at him seriously.

"You wound me," he deadpanned as he covered his heart with his flat palm.

Emma stared at him and he eventually let out a long breath and shrugged his shoulders, "we spoke, at length, we realised that we need each other to get what we want. Agreed that it would be better to work together than apart, she wanted to end the fighting."

"Just like that?" Emma raised her eyebrow as she soothingly rubbed Grace's back.

"Just like that," Gold nodded.

She looked at him and decided she thought it was the truth so she asked him, "and what is it that you want?"

"That's my business," he told her darkly.

"So you really can't help her?" Emma asked directly and when he shook his head she knew he was speaking the truth.

"The hospital staff are well-versed in dealing with coma patients," he told her as he turned around, "I suggest you redirect your energy into looking after that baby."

Gold opened the door and exited the room with the air of a man who felt he had wasted his time and brushed past a nurse who shook her head and then looked into the room, "everything okay in here?"

Emma looked at the nurse, Lucille, and nodded, "yep, still no change.."

Lucille entered the room and looked at the chart on the end of Regina's bed before glancing up at the monitors that were quietly beeping and displaying numbers and graphs that meant nothing to Emma.

Lucille looked up from her paperwork at Emma and commented, "you don't have to stay, we will call you the second there's any change."

that were quietly beeping and displaying numbers and graphs that meant nothing to Emma.

Lucille looked up from her paperwork at Emma and commented, "you don't have to stay, we will call you the second there's any change."

"We'll stay a little while longer," Emma smiled back and nuzzled Grace softly.

Lucille nodded and replaced the chart and exited the room. Emma sat on the edge of Regina's bed as she felt Grace starting to stir a little, "hey, Gracie," she said soothingly, "sorry, still me and not Mommy."

Grace's pudgy hand started to move uncoordinatedly and she leaned back from Emma's shoulder so Emma turned her in her arms so she was sitting on her lap facing away from her, "see, there's Mommy," she said as she turned slightly so Grace could see Regina.

Emma had her hands by Grace's sides to balance the child and Grace grabbed at Emma's fingers in her tiny hands and held on tightly. Emma responded by moving her hands around which meant Grace's arms were moving in rhythm with her movements, "who's the best Mommy ever?"

Emma pointed at Regina with Grace's hands and excitedly said, "this Mommy!"

Grace laughed and gurgled and Emma leaned her head down and kissed the crown of Grace's head, "oh I wish I could explain all this to you, Sweetie but I really have no idea what you understand. Or what you're saying."

Grace gurgled again and giggled and Emma laughed, "exactly, no idea what you're saying at all."

Emma reached her hand up to look at her watch and Grace's hand came with it as she was still latched onto Emma's index fingers, "right, time to go home and get you fed and then maybe a bath? But first we need to get… auntie Mary Margaret? Sister Mary Margaret," she decided, "step-sister? I dunno, whatever, call her Snow."

Emma stood up and held Grace in front of her, "kiss Mommy goodbye for today," she instructed and leaned Grace closely into Regina's face until Grace placed a very wet mouth on Regina's forehead.

Emma listed Grace away and plucked a tissue from the bedside cabinet and quickly dried the saliva from Regina's forehead, "messy but effective," she told Grace as she binned the tissue and placed Grace in the travel chair and started to affix the various buckles and belts.

"Hat, where did you put your hat?" Emma frowned and looked around until she saw it on the chair on the other side of the room. She picked up the hat and removed a blanket from a bag and put both over Grace to keep the chill of the evening air away from her.

She stood up and put the bag over her shoulder and then picked up the travel chair and looked at Regina, "bye bye, Mommy," she whispered as she looked down at Grace and then exited the room.


	39. Chapter 39

Emma looked at Mary Margaret in fear, panic, horror and dread.

"Is that.. you?" Emma whispered.

"No," Mary Margaret shook her head quickly.

They both looked at Grace who was in her stroller by the side of their table at Granny's. She was smiling.

"Please that be air," Emma said as she stood up and pulled back on the elastic of Grace's tiny trousers and then peaked into her diaper before taking a quick step back and covering her mouth, "not air!"

"God in heaven," Mary Margaret cried and stepped around the stroller to get some fresher air.

"It's like something's died!" Emma hissed at her mother, both of them were a few steps away from the stroller in either direction.

"Milk," Mary Margaret made a face, "I may never look at it the same way again."

"Well, off you go," Emma said and pointed at Grace and flicked her hand towards the bathrooms at the back of the diner.

"Why me?" Mary Margaret argued.

"Because you're pregnant so you need to get used to this," Emma announced obviously.

"I'm pregnant, I should be resting!" Mary Margaret told her daughter firmly.

"You're, like, two months in!" Emma cried, "if you start resting now you'll have no muscle structure to lift your baby when it comes! Besides my leg, I can't go.."

"Oh it's been a week and a half, you hardly need your crutch anymore!"

Granny came over with a tea towel over her nose and mouth, "someone take that baby out of my diner in the next minute or you're both banned for life."

Mary Margaret and Emma looked at each other and shared a look as they both said "together," and then both nodded. Mary Margaret removed the baby bag from the back of the stroller and made her way towards the bathroom and Emma followed with the stroller.

Once they got in the bathroom they both removed their coats and then rolled up their sleeves as if preparing to perform an operation.

"Right," Emma said with a serious expression, "we need to move fast. In and then out. No messing around, okay?"

"Okay," Mary Margaret nodded her understanding and began to line up a fresh diaper, cream, wet wipes and talcum powder on the changing station.

"I'm going to get her clothes off and remove the diaper," Emma said matter-of-factly, "then you need to be ready with the bag, okay? We need to bin it and get rid of it fast. Then wipe up the mess and we hope it's not up her back this time.."

Mary Margaret nodded, "I'm ready," she rolled her shoulders, "let's go."

Emma unbuckled Grace from the stroller and quickly placed her on the changing station and removed her socks and threw them into the stroller seat before gently pulling the trousers off and throwing them as well, "okay, here we go," she said as she unstrapped the Velcro fastenings and then slid the diaper off, "bag! Bag!"

Mary Margaret pulled a bag off the roll and smiled, "hey, these smell of flowers," she commented as she opened one up.

"BAG!" Emma cried as she held the diaper at arm's length in-between her thumb and forefinger.

"Sorry," Mary Margaret apologised and held the bag out at arm's length. Both held their faces away from the smell and attempted to put the diaper in the bag without looking. Once complete Mary Margaret quickly tied a knot in the bag, "not enough flowers, not enough flowers," she chanted as she put it in the hygiene bin while holding her breath.

Meanwhile Emma wiped at the rest of the mess with a million wet wipes and Mary Margaret held out another bag and they completed a similar operation.

Ruby walked into the bathroom, "dear GOD! What are you feeding that thing?"

"Just be glad it's not all up her back and in her hair like it was the first time we did this," Emma commented, "I'm literally never going to be the same again after that."

Ruby quickly crossed the room and opened a couple of high windows to let some air in, "your mobile phone has been ringing," she told Emma and held out the device to her and at that moment it started to ring again.

"Bit busy at the moment," Emma said with as she applied cream to Grace's bottom while trying to stop herself from gagging.

"It says it's the hospital," Ruby said and Mary Margaret grabbed the phone from Ruby's hand and quickly answered it.

"Hello?" Mary Margaret listened intently to what was being said and started nodded and smiling and looked up at Emma who was looking at her with cream all over one hand and holding Grace's legs by the ankles with the other while staring at her in a silent plea for information.

"She's awake," she said before continuing to listen to what she was being told.

Emma felt her legs nearly give out in relief and let out a sigh and shared a smile with Ruby. Mary Margaret got off the phone and handed Emma a wet wipe, "clean your hands and go, I'll finish up here and I'll be along as soon as I can," she instructed the blonde.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked but she was already cleaning her hands and heading for the door.

"Go!" Mary Margaret told her with a grin.


	40. Chapter 40

Emma was glad she kept her crutch in the passenger seat of the Bug because after she ran out of the diner and up the street to her car she had aggravated her injured leg considerably and could feel it throbbing all the way to the hospital. Once she arrived she pulled the crutch out and used her now-perfected hobble run to get to Regina's room, it had been ten days since she last saw Regina conscious and she'd been to the hospital several times a day every single day in between.

She was excited but anxious, she had no idea what state Regina would be in. Usually whenever something good happened in Storybrooke it was immediately offset but something extremely bad happening straight after. Her brain raced through possible scenarios, amnesia, sickness, loss of magic, too much magic and she eventually told herself to shut up and just see for herself what the situation was.

The door to Regina's room was open and she rushed through it to see Regina sat up in bed reading one of the cookery magazines that Henry had been reading to her during his visits.

"Regina?" Emma asked tentatively.

She put the magazine down and smiled in relief, "Emma," but then she saw the crutch, "what happened?"

Emma glanced down, "tiny problem with my leg but never mind that, how are you?"

Emma hobbled closer and sat on the edge of Regina's bed as had become so natural during her visits, Regina raised her eyebrow at the friendly gesture but didn't refer to it as she replied, "I'm feeling better but I have a way to go before I'm fully recovered."

Emma nodded her understanding and just stared warmly at Regina in absolute relief before shyly asking, "do you know what the year is? Who the president is?"

Regina laughed, "Whale's done all that, I'm fine. Where's Grace?"

"She's with Mary Margaret, she's on her way and David is picking Henry up from school," Emma smiled.

"He shouldn't be missing school," Regina commented.

"You've been in a coma for ten days, he's been beside himself with worry," Emma explained with a harsh edge to her voice.

"Why are you using that tone?" Regina asked with a frown.

"You nearly died!" Emma exclaimed.

"And this bothered you?" Regina looked as if she needed the reassurance.

"Of course it did!" Emma raised her voice with frustration.

Regina blanched at the tone, "then shouldn't you be relieved rather than shouting at me?"

Emma shook her head, "unbelievable," she muttered.

"If I'm not mistaken, I saved your life," Regina pointed out.

"Yes, at risk to your own!" Emma argued, "and I never would have agreed to that if I'd known it could have killed you!"

"I'm. Fine." Regina replied petulantly and then took a deep breath and reached her hand out to take Emma's, "I wasn't in great danger, it was a calculated risk," she said softly.

"You have people who need you," Emma told her.

"And so do you," Regina reminded her firmly.

"You have a baby," Emma reminded her.

"Who I knew would be in safe hands with you," Regina said before quietly adding in a mumbled voice, "and your parents."

Emma nodded and looked down at their hands that were still together, "I was worried," she said in a sigh.

"I know," Regina nodded her head and examined the blonde thoroughly before asking, "how are you? Really?"

Emma smiled, "I'm not paralysed, thanks to you."

Regina ignored the compliment and continued, "any adverse effects? Obviously there is a problem with your leg? I thought I repaired all the damage but I.."

Emma brought her other hand over and laid it on top of Regina's hand, effectively creating a Regina hand sandwich between her own, which silenced the brunette.

"I'm fine," she grinned, "incredibly well for someone who was going to either die or be paralysed for life. Except for seeing you crash in front of me and then being told you might be unconscious for, like, a month.. that will take a while to get over."

Regina smiled as she watched their hands, stacked on top of the sheets, "I'm sorry I frightened you."

"I'm sorry I got myself into a situation I needed rescuing from," Emma sighed.

"Mom, you're awake!" Henry ran into the room and launched himself into Regina who pulled her hand away from Emma's to pull Henry into a big hug.

"Henry," Regina breathed happily as she held him tightly in her arms.

Emma stood up from the bed as David walked in and they both shared a relieved smile as they turned to watch the two embrace. Henry finally pulled back and they were both crying, Regina cupped his face in her hands and smiled as she wiped at his cheeks with her thumbs and looked at him like she'd not seen him properly for years.

It was then that Emma really looked at Regina, she was crying with relief and looking at Henry so intently, as if she hadn't seen him in years. Suddenly Emma thoughts went to the potion that Regina had been taking to diminish her feelings for Henry and she wondered whether not taking the potion for the last ten days had caused a relapse of some form.

Mary Margaret entered the room with an enormous smile on her face and Grace in the travel chair, Regina's eyes connected with the baby and sheer joy flashed through the chocolate orbs. Mary Margaret quickly removed Grace from the chair and carried her towards Regina's waiting arms and delicately laid her down.

"Oh, I've missed you," Regina whispered to the girl who's eyes swum around the room as she took everything in before focusing on Regina's face and smiling at her. She looked at Grace and put her arm out for Henry to sit on the bed beside her and looked from one to the other when he did.

"She's missed you," Mary Margaret replied, "we all have.."

Regina looked up at her in slight confusion and surprise, while it was true they had pretty much put their differences aside in the name of peace she certainly hadn't expected any of them to miss her presence.

A tear fell down Mary Margaret's face, "Regina, thank you so much for bringing Emma back to me," she swallowed at the emotion.

Regina gave her a small smile and nodded before looking up to where Emma had been standing and then frowning, "where is Emma?"

David frowned and turned around to see an empty space where Emma had been standing and then turned back to face them, "I'll.. I'll go look for her.."


	41. Chapter 41

"Emma?" David's voice echoed through the ladies bathroom, "are you in here?"

Emma held her breath and waited until she heard the door close again and then counted to thirty to be absolutely sure she was alone before she allowed the sobs to take over her body again. She sat on the floor of one of the cubicles hugging her knees to her chest, the kneecaps of her jeans were soaked in tears.

When Henry had sat on the bed beside Regina and looked at Grace in her arms, Emma could see the happy family picture complete. She was convinced that Regina's love for Henry was stronger than ever, she could see the look in Regina's eyes that she had seen when she first arrived in Storybrooke and she knew that he time with Henry was coming to an end.

In the back of her mind she knew that the day would come when Henry would leave her, it was inevitable. But she had made the mistake of falling for Grace, the last week and a half with the tiny baby girl had been some of the best times in Emma's life. Of course at first she was utterly terrified of Grace and was fully expecting to do something wrong, but as time moved on she began to feel more comfortable holding Grace and soon it became natural.

Of course she didn't let Mary Margaret know and she attempted to share the labour of looking after the baby equally but when it was her turn to take Grace she felt alive and safe. The tiny bundle needed her, Emma was her literally her lifeline and Emma doted on the baby as if Grace were her own child.

Now Emma knew how foolish that was, of course Regina was going to wake up and want her baby back, want her family back. So when she'd seen them together and she felt the familiar grasping cold hand taking control of her chest she knew she had to get out of the room and to somewhere where she could be alone. The second she had stumbled into the toilet cubicle she had sunk to the floor on shaky legs and could feel the panic attack washing over her, tight chest, shortness of breath, cold sweat.

The last ten days had been so hectic and stressful that Emma hadn't had a chance to let herself fall apart. She had to be there for Grace, for Henry and for Regina. She had constructed a very detailed itinerary that involved providing them all with the care and comfort they needed and it had kept Emma so busy that she hadn't had the time to think about herself, to think about what would eventually come, to understand that before long she would be alone. Again.

Her phone silently vibrated in her pocket and she took the device out and looked at the screen and smiled at Henry's beaming face on the screen. She took a deep breath to compose herself before she swiped at the screen with her thumb, "hey, Kid.."

"Hey," Henry seemed confused, "where are you?"

"I had a call," she said, "can't take calls in the hospital.."

"Oh," Henry said as he realised he was using his phone.

"I'll be back in soon," she said in a tone that she hoped was carefree.

"Okay, cool, see you in a bit," he said as he hung up.

Emma looked at the screen and the background picture of her, Henry and Grace. Mary Margaret had taken it a few days before when they were all at the park and Emma had saved it as her background later that day. Now she looked at it she wondered what the hell she had been thinking, those children belonged to someone else and she was acting like she was a part of that family when she obviously wasn't. It sent a small shiver through her spine that she had managed to get so caught up in this fake world she had helped create her herself.

With a sad smile she accessed the gallery in her mobile phone and deleted the family shot, she then deleted similar pictures that she found. She changed her background to a standard image that came with the phone, it was shades of grey in an abstract format. Completely neutral and nondescript.

She tried to stand but struggled a little and eventually had to use the toilet to pull herself up as she steadied herself with her crutch. She took a couple of deep breaths before opening the cubicle and walking into the bathroom area and approaching the sinks and mirrors. She looked at herself and was relieved at her choice of light makeup that morning, she splashed cold water on her face to remove some of the redness and then set about fixing her hair.

After a while she took a small step back and looked at herself thoughtfully in the mirror before turning and leaving the bathroom. The cold floor of the bathroom had spread through her body and her right leg was stiffer than it had been in a while, clearly not helped by the cramped position she had been sat in either. She leaned heavily on her crutch and caught her reflection in a mirror and noticed what a sorry state she looked. She slowly approached Regina's hospital room, not relishing the happy families' scene that she knew awaited her within and the eagle eye of the former Mayor herself who would no doubt sniff out any sign of discomfort in her.

With a last reassuring intake of breath she entered the room and stopped dead when she noticed Regina was alone in the room, sat up in bed with her hands interlaced in her lap. Her eyes flickered over to Emma as she entered the room.

"Come in and close the door," she ordered.


	42. Chapter 42

Without exactly understanding why, Emma did exactly as she was told and closed the door behind her. Regina pointed to the chair that was sat beside her bed and Emma slowly limped over and sat in it, feeling like she was about to be told her by the head of her school.

"I won't ask where you went," Regina sniffed, clearly unhappy at Emma's sudden and unexpected departure, "but we do have things to discuss."

"I know," Emma said as she looked at her feet and waited for Regina to reassert her claim over Henry.

"I need you to take Grace for a while longer," Regina stated, "I know it's inconvenient but I don't exactly have a line of babysitters whom I trust."

Emma's head had snapped up and she was looking at Regina in bewilderment, "you want.. you want me to take Grace?"

"Yes," Regina and opened her mouth to speak again but Emma immediately interrupted.

"What about Mary Margaret, or Katherine? Katherine's your friend, she's taken Grace before.." Emma pointed out.

"I'm asking you," Regina knitted her brow, "do you not want to?"

"No, I mean.." Emma closed her eyes and sighed, "I'd love to but there are probably better choices."

"Nonsense, you're good with her," Regina told her.

"You've hardly seen me with her," Emma argued.

"Hmm," Regina said noncommittally.

"Oh my God," Emma suddenly realised, "you could hear us when you were asleep!"

Regina shrugged her shoulders, "sort of, not as clear as that.."

Emma put her head in her hands and tried to remember what she had said and done with Grace when they had been visiting Regina.

"The pop singing wasn't pleasant, though it probably contributed to my waking so I didn't have to experience it again," Regina commented dryly.

Emma looked up and peaked at Regina through the gaps in her fingers, "and you still want me to look after your daughter?"

"Yes," Regina said seriously, "even if you were singing about liking bass, or something, I didn't quite understand and I don't think I want to," she shook her head to remove the memory.

"The fact is I'm still not well enough to be released, I need at least another day or two to recover enough to leave this damn building," Regina sighed, "and then a couple more before I can satisfactorily look after her."

Emma wanted to say no, she wanted to say it would be a bad idea. Come up with a range of excuses as to how she wasn't fit to be a mother to the child, how she had to work, how inconvenient it was, anything to stop herself from having to spend more time with Grace and form a deeper attachment to the baby. But then she remembered why Regina was in this state and that it was entirely her fault and that she had a duty to help the woman out, even if she couldn't understand why Regina was insistent that it was her.

"Okay," Emma nodded in agreement and then looked around the room, "where?"

"They've gone to get lunch, I told them I wanted to speak with you alone," Regina explained and paused before saying, "I need to talk to you about Henry."

Emma swallowed and nodded, she knew what was coming and she looked down at her feet casually.

"When I took Grace on.. I wasn't completely insensitive to Henry's feelings. I'd assumed I would hardly see him, if ever," Regina explained carefully, "but clearly things have changed, I was wrong about Henry's feelings towards me and I've caused him pain and I'm truly very sorry for that."

Emma nodded dully, she didn't know why Regina was bothering to explain it to her in such a considerate way. She wished she'd just be kind and do it quickly, like pulling at a sticky plaster.

"The truth of the matter is that he has obviously become closer to Grace, especially over the last ten days, and is taking on a bit of a big brother role to her," Regina smiled as she recalled the way Henry had carried the girl around the room when she became fidgety just a short while ago.

"I'd like to encourage that, I think it's good for him to have that experience in his life and it will clearly be impossible to separate them, especially if Grace is to stay with you for the next few days," Regina pointed out.

Emma couldn't fathom where this was going so looked up at Regina with a blank expression and Regina sighed as she realised she had been edging around the subject a little too much, "what I'm saying," Regina pushed forward, "is that I think it would be good for Henry to spend some time with Grace in the future. If you would be happy with such an arrangement?"

"Er, I.." Emma wasn't really sure what she was being asked.

"Obviously it will take some creative diary management," Regina continued, "you have Henry and your work and I have Grace and we both have the council meetings but I think we could make it work. Just so that he has a presence in his life, so he doesn't think of her as a stranger, or grow to resent her?"

"You're not taking him away from me?" Emma exhaled the sentence quickly.

Regina blinked in mystification, "no, of course not."

"Oh," Emma frowned and then shook her head, "erm, yeah, I think it's a great idea, Henry should get to see his sister. Well, his ex-sister.. your daughter.. whatever."

Regina gave Emma a strange look and then nodded, "yes, the family tree is becoming family trailing ivy crawling all over everything."

"Henry still calls you Mom," Emma pointed out.

"I know," Regina said gently, "do you want me to stop him?"

"No," Emma quickly shook her head, "you're his Mom.. to him. I think it's right that he calls you that, I also think it's right that you think of him as your son."

Emma saw an unidentifiable emotion flash in Regina's eyes and she opened her mouth to speak before closing it again and considering her words and then saying, "he is your son now, Emma."

"Legally," Emma bit out, "you did the hard work. You made him who he is. And he thinks of you as his Mom."

Regina chuckled and Emma stared at her incredulously, "something funny?"

Regina looked at her with a lopsided grin, "it just occurred to me, ridiculous really that it's occurred to me so late on, but Henry must think of us both as his mother, just in different ways. We're like," she waved her hand distractedly, "divorced parents or something."

Emma thought about it for a moment and nodded with a smile, "yeah, I suppose he does."

"Obviously I'm the boring disciplinarian and you're the fun one," Regina laughed.

"You can cook and I beat him at Call of Duty," Emma responded with a grin.

"We make a good team," Regina covered her mouth as she yawned.

"How do you feel?" Emma asked.

"Drained," Regina replied honestly, "like all of the energy has been sucked out of me. Well, I suppose that's what happened," she chuckled softly.

"But you're okay?" Emma asked, "can I do anything?"

"Take Grace and Henry home," Regina told her genuinely, "look after them, smother them with love until I get can out of here."

"And then?" Emma asked hesitantly.

"Then we'll figure out a way to balance our diaries, for Henry," she added

Emma nodded and stood up, "I better let you rest," she said as Regina shuffled down into the bed and adjusted her pillows.

Regina glanced down at the awful hospital gown she wore and sighed, "I don't know what I was thinking when I conjured these hospital gowns for the curse.."

"That anyone who had to wear one would be incentivised to get well quickly?" Emma asked as she hobbled towards the door. She was rewarded with the rich sound of a throaty laugh coming from the brunette as she closed her eyes to rest.


	43. Chapter 43

Henry sat on the sofa in the apartment with Grace in his arms, holding a bottle carefully while feeding her. Emma sat opposite him in the armchair and watched him with a smile, he was getting very good at caring for the baby and had even changed a diaper when they got home. Although she did suspect that Henry was no fool and had offered to do it because he knew there would be nothing so soon after the toxic waste from earlier that afternoon and would later use the excuse that he had taken his turn. Grace was wrapped up in a white fluffy towel having just had a bath and Henry had spiked the small amount of thin hair she had and was still giggling at it as she sucked hungrily on the bottle.

"Do you think Mom will let me spend more time with Grace?" Henry asked Emma doubtfully, "you know, when she's better?"

"I think so," Emma smiled.

He looked up at her with a smile, "really?"

"We had a little chat about it," Emma admitted, "we haven't really decided on anything but we agree that you should probably all spend some more time together."

Henry grinned, "that would be cool."

Grace finished and Henry put the empty bottle on the table in front of him and put a pacifier in her mouth, "this baby stuff's easy," he smiled.

Emma laughed out loud, "oh, Kid, you weren't there for that diaper today.. and you sleep through her tantrums at night."

Henry adjusted his grip on the baby and held her against his chest, "when Mom's out of hospital.. and Grace isn't staying here anymore.."

As Henry drifted off Emma looked at him to encourage him to go on, "will you go back to doing nightshifts?"

Emma hadn't expected that question, "erm, I'm.. I'm not sure," she admitted and pointed to the crutch, "I'm still not very mobile."

"I don't want you to do the nightshifts anymore," Henry told her while looking at Grace so he didn't have to make eye contact with Emma as he was already convinced of her answer.

"Well, I'll have to do some," Emma said, "but I'll make sure it isn't like it was before."

Henry looked up with a bright smile, "really?"

"Really," Emma nodded, "I have to be here for you more, I know I've not been around much."

"Maybe we can all spend some time together?" Henry asked.

"All?" Emma frowned as she sat up to take Grace from him and put her to bed.

"You, me, Grace and Mom," Henry said simply.

"Oh, well, I suppose," Emma said casually, she knew it was hard for Henry to understand the patchwork family they had created for him and she didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep nor shoot his hopes down, "we'll see when Regina is better, eh?"

She bent down and picked Grace up, thankful she was light enough to be carried easily in one hand so she could still walk with the crutch, "I'll put her down, I'll be a while," she said as she started walking down towards her bedroom.

"I'll play on my game," Henry said excitedly and quickly got his controller out and reached for the television remote.

"No more than half an hour," Emma told him over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at the half-mumbled agreement.

She entered her bedroom and closed the door behind her and laid Grace on the bed and started to look through the holdall of clothes she had gathered from Grace's room, "what do you think, Gracie?"

She held up two baby sleepsuits, "pink stripes or yellow stars?"

Grace looked at her and sucked on her pacifier blankly and Emma nodded, "I know, it's a hard decision. How about pink stripes?"

Grace continued to look at her tiredly and Emma put the other sleepsuit back in the bag and unwrapped the towel that Grace was wrapped in and started to get her into the nightwear.

"What do you think? Just wake me the once tonight? Not three times again, that was very silly," she said in a light tone as she did the poppers up on clothes. Once she was done she put the holdall and the towel on the floor and sat on her bed with Grace in her arms and picked up a book from her bedside cabinet.

"Okay, this is about a boy called Oliver Twist," Emma said as she opened the book, "I know that sounds unlikely but trust me when you hear the other characters you'll think Oliver Twist is a normal name."

She dimmed the light a little until it was just light enough for her to be able to read by and hopefully soft enough to help Grace drift off, "now I've read this a lot so I know you're going to love it," she said with a smile as she bent her head down and kissed Grace's forehead.

Emma turned to the first page and started to softly read, "among other public buildings in a certain town, which for many reasons it will be prudent to refrain from mentioning.."

An hour later when Henry suddenly realised the time he quickly turned the television and games console off and started to turn off the lights on his way towards his bedroom. He slowly turned the handle of Emma's bedroom door and peaked in through the crack and saw, as per the previous nights that Emma had been looking after Grace, Emma had fallen asleep with Grace sleeping peacefully in her arms.

He quietly crept into the room and removed the book from Emma's hand and took the blanket from the end of the bed and gently covered the sleeping pair before dimming the light a little lower and leaving the room.


	44. Chapter 44

Regina closed her book as she heard the sound of walking assisted with a crutch making its way up the corridor. She smiled and waited patiently for the sound to get closer and closer until someone entered her room.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "oh, it's you."

"What a greeting," Gold smiled at her, "and I thought you'd be thanking me for saving your life."

When Regina made no move to answer that he closed the door behind him and sat in the visitor's chair, "so, nearly dying to save the Saviour? Didn't see that one coming," he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want?" Regina asked with a bored tone.

"I heard you were awake and wanted to see how you were doing," Gold said, "isn't that what friends do?"

"Neither you nor I are good at being friends," Regina pointed out.

"That is true, Dearie," he said as he plucked a grape from a bunch that had been placed in a bowl beside her bed. He popped it in his mouth and looked at a particularly flowery get well card that adorned the table, "Miss Blanchard must actively seek out the most hideous cards she can find."

Regina gave a small smile, "why do you think it's facing the door and not me?"

He nodded his agreement with the placing of the card and looked at her again, "you are feeling better?"

She nodded, "I'm due to go home this afternoon."

"Have you tried your magic?" Gold questioned with interest.

She shook her head, "no," the rest of the sentence was mumbled, "I can't even feel it yet."

He nodded, "to be expected."

"You don't know that," she chided him for his lie, "neither of us has experience of this."

"And yet you did it anyway, why is that?" Gold was curious about this area of magic he had never dared to explore.

Regina pursed her lips for a moment before replying, "I'd read about magic drainage, I felt I had enough of an understanding to survive."

"I've known you to be reckless in your pursuit of revenge," he commented calmly as he picked off another grape, "but never reckless with your own life."

Regina shook her head, "not reckless, calculated."

He ate the grape and they looked at each other silently for a few moments before she spoke again, "thank you, for starting the restoration process. I realise you could have left me to die."

Gold shrugged, "that's not a part of our new deal though, is it? We're in this together, isn't that what you said to me?"

She nodded and watched as he looked around the room uncomfortably, "you didn't have to come here, you know," she told him.

"I'm unfamiliar with how friendships work," Gold stated with a stark laugh, "is Grace well?"

Regina's face lit up with happiness, "yes, she's with Emma until I am able to look after her again myself."

"And Henry?" Gold asked, knowingly.

Regina sighed, "I remember.. everything."

Gold nodded, "you will do, ten days without the potion will have reversed the accumulative effects."

Regina nodded her own agreement and took a deep breath.

"What will you do?" Gold asked her.

"I don't know," Regina admitted honestly.

Gold plucked another grape and threw it into his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully, "you know," he swallowed, "it occurs to me that you were right in something you said. You told me that you believed that this world was different from the old realm and that in a world of so many shades it was possible for a villain to have a happy ending if they were truly repentant and willing to change."

Regina looked down at her hands which were covering her book and nodded silently.

"At the time I believe I laughed and called you naïve," he smiled at the memory, "however, your words and indeed your actions have stayed with me. And I do wonder if things are, as you claim, different in this world. Maybe we are wrong to use old world solutions to new world problems?"

"What are you saying?" Regina looked at him in confusion.

"I'm saying that maybe it doesn't have to be so black and white," Gold mused, "maybe you can remember Henry and have him in your life and be happy, without the need to be his legal guardian."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "Rumple, I do believe you're going soft."

"You softened long before I did, Your Majesty," he grinned at her before looking distractedly away from her gaze, "Belle.. has.. well, Belle and I are to be married."

A large grin formed on Regina's face and she nodded sincerely, "congratulations, I was wondering when the day would come, I'm pleased for you, for both of you."

"We have yet to make an announcement," he sighed and waved his hand at Regina, "Belle thought it would be bad timing while you were perceived to be dying and all that."

"Apologies for disrupting your schedule," she smirked, "though I am now well and you can tell the town of your happy impending nuptials."

"I will leave that to Belle," he announced sourly.

"Under the thumb already," Regina laughed softly, "who would have thought that it would take someone like Belle to bring you heel?"

He glared at her but any menace was long gone and he simply shook his head at her banter and stood up and leant on his cane, "I'll see you again, when you're not in your sick bed," he rolled his eyes, "with that hair."

He turned around and smirked as he heard Regina quickly raise her hands to her head to check on the state of her hair.


	45. Chapter 45

Emma walked into Regina's hospital room with a bag and placed it on the visitor's chair, "one change of clothes suitable for a queen."

Regina looked at her with an expression that said she didn't appreciate the humour but Emma decided to ignore her as she continued, "Henry is at school and Grace is back at your house with Mary Margaret. I've locked the wardrobes.

Regina smirked despite her bad mood and nodded, "thank you," she said quietly.

Emma frowned and watched her as she started to sit up in bed, "what's wrong?"

Regina looked at her and shrugged, "I'm in hospital, sorry if I'm not singing a song."

"No, there's something else," Emma analysed her body language and Regina held up her outstretched hand to cover her face, "what are you doing?"

"That superpower thing you have convinced everyone that you have is rather off putting," Regina muttered as she sat up on the bed with her bare legs hanging down the side, "all that staring into people's faces and claiming to know the truth."

"You're redirecting," Emma folded her arms, "what's going on?"

Regina lowered her hand and sighed, "while I am obviously physically well," she gestured to her body, "my magic has yet to make a reappearance."

"Oh," Emma frowned, she didn't really know what that meant but she wasn't about to upset Regina further by asking her to explain it.

"It will return," Regina said determinedly as she stood up and started to sort through the clothes that Emma had brought her.

"I've never seen so many clothes," Emma commented casually, "not that I spent ages looking, but it took a while to find your sweaters in all the rails of stuff," she rambled, "it was like being at a store. Just everything in one size. We're the same size, by the way."

"I know," Regina commented, "I never did see that shirt again.."

Emma blushed, "oh, I er, I.. I didn't know how to give it back, never seemed like a good time," she thumbed towards the door, "I could get it now?"

Regina picked up some folded clothes and shook her head, "it's fine, as you say I have lots of clothes."

"Do you want it back?" Emma pressed.

"Not particularly," Regina shrugged as she pointed towards the bathroom, "I'm just going to.."

Emma nodded, "sure, I'll be here."

As Regina walked barefoot into the bathroom Emma rolled her eyes at herself and whispered, "I'll be here? What the hell, Emma? Idiot.."

She sat on the bed and then stood up again and used her crutch to walk over to a chair in the corner of the room and sat there instead, putting space between the two of them. Regina made her nervous, always had done and seemingly always would do. Something about the brunette radiated power and control and Emma constantly felt like she had neither when she was around Regina. It should have made her feel bad but those moments when Regina let her in, when Regina was nice to her, those were like finding treasure on a gloomy day.

Emma had a distinct feeling there would be a lot of gloomy days coming up. The last twenty four hours with Grace had been sheer heaven but now Regina was going home and that would be the end of Emma's connection with the baby. Before long Henry would go as well and soon after that Mary Margaret and David would have their own baby. She took a breath to calm the feelings that were threatening to overpower her, she'd already worked out a solution to the problem. Run.

It was Emma's go to answer when things started to get the better of her, she thought she had found a home in Storybrooke. She arrived a strong and independent woman with few worries, concealed baggage and a car that would take her wherever she needed to go and never question her. Now she was a weak and lonely woman with so many worries and baggage that was fast pinging out of straining suitcases. But she still had her beloved yellow Bug.

Once Regina was home and settled Emma had decided that she would suggest that Henry stay over a little, she was sure Regina wouldn't argue now that she had stopped taking the potion. Once Henry got used to being a part of Regina's life again Emma would head on out of Storybrooke with her head held high that she had done her duty as Saviour.

She'd broken the curse, well, as much of it as she could. Everyone had their memories back, the town was safe and everyone had their happy ending. Even the Evil Queen. It was time for Emma to move on so she could start a new life and forget about this one before she developed anymore attachments to people that were going to leave her anyway. It was time to reset the stopwatch.


	46. Chapter 46

"Are you okay to drive?" Regina asked while glancing at the crutch Emma was using to support herself as they walked across the hospital car park to the Bug.

"Yeah," Emma said casually as she unlocked the car and climbed in, she reached over and opened Regina's door and the brunette also climbed in and looked around the car with a shake of the head.

"Before you say anything about my car, remember who is driving you home," Emma warned her.

"I was just going to say it is cleaning than I expected," Regina mumbled as she pulled her seatbelt across her lap.

Emma gave a chuckle and gently placed the crutch in the back seat of the car, "uh huh, sure you were."

Regina turned her head from side to side and rotated her shoulders, "it will be nice to be back in my own bed," she commented.

"I bet it will," Emma smiled as she started to drive out of the car park, "I was thinking.. about what you said about Henry spending more time with Grace.."

Regina turned to look at her with interest, "yes?"

"You're right, it's good for him to spend time with her," Emma agreed, "he's learning responsibility and it will be good for both of them to be in each other's life. I was thinking that Henry could sorta split his time between us?"

Regina broke into a happy grin, "that sounds wonderful, are you sure that would be acceptable for you?"

"It's what's best for Henry so it's best for me," Emma smiled, "of course he'll need a bedroom at your place again."

Regina nodded, "I'll convert a spare room, I have enough of them."

"I haven't mentioned it to Henry yet, I wanted to run it by you first," Emma told her, "I thought that, in a few days when you're feeling better, he could stay with you for a few days and then we could alternate?"

"That would be lovely," Regina smiled happily, "as long as that works for you as well?"

"Of course," Emma said freely, "we'll iron out the specifics later but I think we should tell him when he gets home from school, he has been worried about how much he'll get to see you and Grace.."

Regina nodded her understanding and quietly admitted, "I don't want to take the potion anymore.."

"I didn't think you would," Emma agreed, "and there's no need for you to take it. Henry loves you and wants to spend time with you.."

"But he is still your son," Regina stated, as if reminding herself as well as Emma.

"He's our son," Emma corrected.

"Legally, he is your son," Regina said firmly.

Emma shrugged, "I don't care what a piece of paper says, he is our son and he loves you so he should get to spend time with you. And Grace.. I've been meaning to ask, did you name her Grace?"

Regina briefly wondered if Emma was actually interested or if she was simply attempting to change the subject or maybe even a mixture of the two, "I did, it was my grandmother's name."

Emma smiled and nodded, "it's a beautiful name."

"Thank you," Regina smiled as she looked out of the car window to note they had already arrived at the house.

They both got out of the car and walked up the pathway towards the front door which was opened by Mary Margaret as they approached, "look Grace, here's Mommy," Mary Margaret told the girl as she bounced her happily on her hip.

As Regina entered the house Mary Margaret handed the girl to Regina and gave Emma a big smile. Regina cuddled into Grace and carried her up the stairs towards the living room and began talking to the baby in soft tones.

"She's a good mother," Mary Margaret said to Emma with a beaming smile.

"Yes, she is," Emma agreed as she closed the front door.

"It's good to see this side to her," Mary Margaret continued, "you know, caring and warm.."

"Yep," Emma said as she walked up the steps into the hallway and then paused as she leant heavily on her crutch.

"Everything okay?" Mary Margaret frowned, "is your leg giving you trouble again?"

"A little," Emma admitted, "I have therapy this afternoon so that should help free it up a little."

"Okay," Mary Margaret said but continued to look at Emma in concern, "I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tomorrow or the night after?"

"Sure," Emma agreed, "I'll give you a call when I know what my schedule is."

By now they had arrived at the living room where Regina was sat and happily cuddling and kissing Grace affectionately.

"I have to go," Mary Margaret announced loudly, "David needs my help with something," she turned to Regina, "if you need anything let me know, I'd love to babysit if you need me to, she's a real dream!"

Regina inclined her head gratefully, "thank you, Snow."

Mary Margaret gave Emma a quick kiss on the cheek and then showed herself out of the house. Emma looked at Regina and immediately felt like she was trespassing, "erm, I should probably.. you know, leave you in peace.."

As Emma started to turn around Regina spoke up, "I was wondering if you and Henry would like to come over for dinner this evening?"

Emma paused and looked back, her eyes drifting straight to Grace who was pulling at Regina's sweater, "that sounds good.."

"I don't think I'll be up to cooking, maybe you could bring something from the diner?" Regina asked, "and then we can speak to Henry about our plans?"

Emma nodded slowly as she stared at Grace, "sure, sounds like a plan."

Regina smiled at the way Emma was looking at Grace, "and I'd love some help getting Grace to bed this evening, I'm sure I'll be exhausted by then. That's if you don't mind, of course?"

Emma looked up at Regina's face and nodded, "sure, I can help out," she shrugged lightly, "shall we come over around six?"

Regina nodded, "sounds perfect, I'll see you then."

Emma quickly turned and made her way out of the house without another word. She kept reminded herself that this was just temporary until Regina was feeling better and that she owed the woman the help considering what she had done for her.

She was glad she could tell Henry about their plans sooner rather than later, she had a feeling that Henry would push to stay over at Regina's as soon as possible and the sooner that happened the sooner Emma could leave.


	47. Chapter 47

Emma rushed into the apartment and closed the door behind her and leaned heavily on the door, she raised her hand and looked at her watch and calculated that she had just over an hour until Henry got home from school.

Her eyes darted around the apartment as she mentally calculated what she had to do and in what order. She assigned timescales to each task and then got her mobile phone out of her pocket and called the physical therapy department at the hospital and cancelled her appointment for that afternoon and rescheduled it for the next week. She didn't have time to waste with the therapy and rearranging it for next week wouldn't seem as suspicious as not booking in a new appointment.

She leant heavily on her crutch as she made her way to her bedroom as she approached the bed she used the foot of the crutch to hook out the suitcase that was stored under her bed by the handle. It scraped noisily across the floor and she kicked the lid open and looked around the room with a thoughtful gaze.

Opening her closet and her drawers she debated what she would need for wherever she was going, which was something that hadn't been decided on yet. Away was as much as Emma had currently decided so she knew she had to pack for all eventualities. Tank tops, jeans, jeggings, smart clothes and dresses made their way into the case before sleepwear and a couple of photo albums were added to the top. A couple of books and her laptop completed that case and she closed the lid and put the case by the door.

Using the crutch again she hooked the handles of a sports holdall from the top of her wardrobe and packed a few more items of clothing and other personal effects into that. In the bathroom she took a few supplies but left enough that it didn't look empty. On the top she put her baby blanket and zipped up the bag.

She picked up the suitcase and hooked the handles of the sports holdall with her crutch and dragged both into the living room before picking up a couple of items in there as well and putting them in the sports holdall as well.

By the time Henry got home Emma had managed to put both bags in the front compartment of the Bug and was grateful, not for the first time, that the storage space was in the front of the vehicle and couldn't be seen from the outside. Of course it meant sacrificing her spare wheel but it was a small price to pay for the extra privacy.

"How's Mom?" Henry asked as soon as he got home.

"She's good," Emma said with a smile as she sat in the living room reading her book and watched as Henry helped himself to juice, "don't have too big a snack, we're heading to Granny's in half an hour to pick up take out."

Henry frowned, "take out?"

"Yep, Regina invited us to dinner tonight," she smiled as a big grin overtook his face.

"Cool!"

"We also wanted to talk to you about something," Emma began the speech she had been preparing in her mind for the last twenty minutes.

Henry looked worried and came and sat in the living room with her, "am I in trouble?"

"No, nothing like that," Emma shook her head, "we wanted to talk to you about you maybe splitting your time between staying here with me and staying with Regina."

As she suspected, Henry looked at her in happy amazement, "really? You both want that?"

"Yes, we think it's what you want.. is that right?" Emma questioned him but she could already see in his face how happy he was.

"Yes! That would be amazing, then I could spend time with Mom and Grace and I can still see you!"

Emma gave a quick inhalation of breath at the way Henry casually added her on the end of the sentence, like an afterthought. She knew in her heart he didn't mean it like that, he was a kid and wasn't great at finessing a thought before saying it but she knew that his heart lay with Regina and Grace and that he'd be happier there.

"Will I have my own room there?" Henry asked with a confused frown.

"I think so, you'll have to ask Regina tonight," Emma admitted, "she won't make you sleep in the garage if that's what you're worried about," she joked.

He smiled, "when do I get to stay there?"

And there it was, the innocent question that Emma knew would immediately pop up and break her heart in two.

"I.. don't know," she hesitated and pretended to shift in her chair, "we'll talk about that tonight.."

"How's your leg?" Henry noticed her discomfort and attributed it to her leg, "I didn't think you'd be home from therapy yet."

"I managed to get an earlier appointment," Emma lied easily, "I had some things I wanted to do around the apartment," she covered with the truth in the hope that would confuse Henry's own lie detector.

"Cool," he nodded, "I'm gonna make a sandwich, do you want anything?"

Henry stood up and walked towards the kitchen area and Emma drank in everything about that moment, not sure when it might happen again or if was indeed the last time.

"Mom?" Henry questioned and she looked at him with confusion.

"Sandwich?" he questioned again.

"Sorry, Henry, just a bit tired," she said truthfully, "no, I'm fine.."


	48. Chapter 48

Emma was still walking up the path with the food from Granny's as Henry ran ahead and started banging on the front door excitedly. As Emma approached the porch plinth the door opened and Regina opened the door while Henry simultaneously ran into her arms and wrapped himself around her slender waist.

The cold ache in Emma's chest barely registered anymore now she knew her car was packed and a letter declaring her intentions was in her bedside drawer for when she had gone. Everything was in place so the fact that Henry was happier to see Regina than he would ever be to see her was hurtful but manageable.

Emma held up the take out bag, "dinner is served."

Regina looked up from the hug she was enjoying with Henry and smiled at the blonde, "that's wonderful, do come in," she said as she took a step to the side. Henry ran into the living room where Grace was laying on an activity mat and sucking happily on her pacifier.

Regina took Emma's leather jacket and hung it up in the closet and the two of them also walked into the living room.

"Can I feed her, Mom?" Henry asked excitedly as he lay on the floor beside Grace and played with her hand.

"She's just been fed a while ago," Regina told him but looked at her watch, "although she'll have another bottle before bed and you can do that one if you like?"

Henry grinned happily and looked at Grace, "we'll get some milk in your belly before bed," he whispered to her.

Emma smiled at the scene and then looked at Regina who was watching the two of them with wonderment in her eyes, it was obvious to see that this was her dream come true a real happy family.

Regina blinked and seemed to wake up from her staring and looked at Emma with a smile and then looked down at the bag she was still holding firmly, "oh, yes, food," she shook her head, "it's been rather hectic today."

"I bet it has," Emma smiled at her, "let me help you plate up."

Regina nodded and they both walked into the kitchen and Emma removed the food from the bags while Regina got plates and cutlery out.

"How was your physical therapy?" Regina asked casually.

"Pretty good," Emma said, "sore but I can feel it getting better."

Regina nodded, "that's good news, I'm sure you'll be running around in no time."

Henry entered the kitchen when Grace in his arms, "Mom, when will Grace be able to try real food?"

"You mean solid food," Regina corrected him with a smile, "she can try to eat pureed food now, I've tried her with some but she's not got the hang of it quite yet."

"Can we try her with something now?" Henry asked excitedly, "would she like some of my burger?"

Emma laughed, "I never thought I'd have to say this but, no, Henry you cannot feed a six month old a cheeseburger."

"You can feed her some mashed apple if you like?" Regina said and handed him an apple from the ever-present bowl of red apples on the kitchen bench.

"Sure," Henry smiled and took the apple and held it to Grace's face, "mmm.. apples!"

"Can you put her in the chair at the table?" Regina told him, "we'll eat and then you can try her with some apple."

"Okay," Henry said as he left the room while talking about apples to Grace.

"Of course I blame you for him wanting to feed his sister cheeseburgers," Regina smiled.

"Well you can't blame him," Emma laughed, "it is all she's eaten while you've been sleeping your life away."

Regina laughed and threw a screwed up napkin from the bag at the blonde as she picked up two plates and carried them into the dining room. Emma quickly followed with the other plate and picked up a teaspoon on the way for Henry's attempt at feeding Grace later.

Once they all started to eat Emma spoke up, "I briefly mentioned our thoughts to Henry this afternoon," she told Regina.

"Oh, yes?" Regina said, nervousness suddenly clouding her expression as she waited to hear the results.

"Yes," Emma smiled, "Henry thought it would be a great idea, did you Henry?"

Henry nodded happily, "yeah, I'd love to spend some time here and some time at Emma's."

Emma noticed how it was no longer home anymore, it was 'Emma's' and continued to pick listlessly at her food while occasionally chancing a glance at Grace.

"Well, that's wonderful," Regina smiled, "in fact, after Grace and I had a little nap this afternoon I felt my magic returning so I attempted a little redecorating of your old playroom."

Henry looked at her with wide eyes, "can I go see now?"

"By all means," Regina said and in the instant the words left her mouth he put his half eaten burger down and sprinted towards the stairs and then took two steps at a time.

"He had a playroom?" Emma laughed.

"He did," Regina said and waved her arm around, "so many rooms and it seemed ridiculous for them to be unused."

Emma nodded and moved her food around the plate.

"Is something wrong with your food?" Regina asked carefully.

"No, I'm just not that hungry," Emma replied honestly.

"Any particular reason?" Regina pressed.

"No, just had a big lunch," Emma lied and made a point of eating another chip, "I'm fine," she smiled.

Henry ran back down the stairs happily, "there's my old bed! Like my old, old bed, the racing car!"

Regina nodded as she took a sip of water, "indeed there is."

"It's great," Henry smiled, "my desk is there and my TV and everything," he walked around the dining room table and wrapped his arms around Regina happily, "thank you."

Regina held him and closed her eyes as she savoured the moment, "you're welcome, Henry."

Henry let go and walked back to his seat and looked up at Emma, "you'll have to go and see it, it's awesome!"

"Right after we've finished eating," Emma smiled at him, "sounds great!"

Henry looked at Regina, "c.. could I stay tonight?"

Regina shook her head, "oh, Henry, that's short notice."

"But there's no school tomorrow," Henry said, "you don't mind, do you Emma?"

Emma shook her head, "not at all, if it's okay with you," she looked at Regina, "I think it would be good for you all to be together tonight. It's been a rough time for everyone while you've been in hospital."

Regina looked at Emma and asked, "are you certain you're okay with this? It's not going to be inconvenient for you?"

"Not at all," Emma said, "as Henry said, there's no school tomorrow.. in fact he could stay for a while and help you out while you're getting back on your feet.."

"Please say yes," Henry pleaded to Regina. The split between him and his adoptive mother had really hit him hard and while he had been trying to mend bridges he knew he still had a long way to go until he undid the damage he had done. He desperately wanted to get his relationship with her back to the way it was before, to assure her that he did love her and need her in his life.

Regina looked at the two of them and nodded, "very well.."

Henry punched the air with excitement and started talking to Grace while Emma laughed as she looked sideways at Regina, "you've made him very happy."

Regina looked at her and asked, "are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Emma shrugged, "we agreed this was the best for everyone."


	49. Chapter 49

After dinner Emma cleared the plates away while Regina sat Grace on Henry's knee and placed a tea towel over her clothes, knowing that about one percent of the apple would actually end up being swallowed. She cut pieces of apple and then mashed them with a fork on a plate and then instructed Henry how to feed her.

Emma watched from the doorway with a large smile on her face as she watched Grace's excited and confused face at the taste of the apple. Regina was crying with laughter as Grace ejected most of the apple from her mouth and it fell down Henry's hand and the tea towel. Regina attempted to clear up as much of the half eaten apple as she could while Henry made an effort to put fresh spoons in as Grace leaned into him as she wanted more of the tasty food.

After a while they gave up and Regina wiped at Grace's mouth and carefully folded the tea towel and placed it on the plate to be cleared away. But Grace had still managed to get apple everywhere, "well it seems like someone is going to have to have a bath tonight," Regina laughed as she looked up at Emma, "would you mind running a bath in the upstairs bathroom?"

"Sure," Emma nodded and went up the stairs.

Once she was out of sight Regina spoke quietly to Henry, "how is Emma doing now?"

"Still quiet," Henry said, "she won't talk to me though, keeps telling me that she's fine."

"I see," Regina nodded.

"She's really liked having Grace though," Henry said with a smile, "she pretended she didn't really care but she lights up when she hold her and she slept with her every night we had her."

Regina smiled, "I'm going to ask her to bathe Grace and help me put her to bed, can you entertain yourself down here for a while?"

"Sure, I'll watch some TV," Henry said as he handed Grace to Regina and she held the girl on her hip and leaned forward and kissed Henry's hair.

"Moooom," he whinged a little but still smiled as he went to the living room.

Regina went upstairs and approached the bathroom where Emma had quarter filled the bathtub and placed the foam baby bath inside it and was leaning over and checking the temperature. Regina sat on the closed toilet and started to undress Grace, "thank you," she said and Emma frowned at her, "for running the bath," Regina clarified.

"Oh, no problem," Emma said.

"You seem distracted?" Regina asked as she put Grace's clothes in the laundry hamper beside her.

"Just tired," Emma attempted a smile, "I had a look at Henry's room while I was up here, it looks great."

"My magic was returning and I wanted to test it on something, it seemed practical," Regina said as she handed a naked Grace to Emma.

Emma took the baby and looked at Regina with a frown, "would you mind bathing her, I have this pain in my neck," Regina said simply.

Emma nodded and gently placed Grace in the bath and used a colourful plastic cup to pour water over the girl who giggled and thrashed about playfully while she did it.

"You're wonderful with her," Regina commented as she watched them.

"She's just a very easy baby to care for," Emma said with a shrug.

"Do you find it hard to accept a compliment?" Regina asked as she examined her nails distractedly.

"If it's unnecessary," Emma answered quickly.

"Will you come over for breakfast tomorrow morning?" Regina asked, "it would be nice to have another meal together, the four of us."

"Yes, sounds great," Emma nodded.

Regina raised an eyebrow and stood up, "I'm just going to get some sleepwear for Grace."

"Okay," Emma said as she left, she tickled Grace's tummy and smiled, "you are going to grow up to be a beautiful, amazing treasure," she whispered, "always remember that you have a family who loves you more than anything."

Grace brought her foot down hard and a splash of water hit Emma in the face and she laughed as she reached for a towel and dried her face, "thanks, Gracie, appreciate it," she dabbed at her face and Grace giggled so Emma played a quick game of peekaboo as well.

Regina returned and Emma looked up at her, "bedtime?"

Regina nodded and Emma pulled the plug on the bath and laid a towel on the floor and picked Grace up from the bathing mat and laid her on the towel before wrapping her up and picking her up.

"I'm just preparing her bottle," Regina said as they walked into Grace's bedroom.

"Henry wanted to feed her," Emma reminded the brunette.

"He fed her the apple goo that meant she needed a bath," Regina chuckled, "you can feed her the bottle and put her down if you don't mind?"

"I'd love to," Emma said honestly.

Regina smiled, "her sleepsuit is on the bed and I'll go and get the bottle now."

Emma dimmed the lights and carried Grace around the room and turned on a music box that started playing a lullaby, "no Oliver Twist tonight, Grace," Emma whispered, "you'll have to read it when you grow up, you'll love it."

After a look at the bookshelf Emma picked up a fabric book with colourful animals in it and sat in the chair by Grace's cot and started to point at animals and tell Grace what they were. Regina came in and handed her the bottle, "do you need anything else or are you okay to get her off to sleep?"

"I'm good," Emma smiled happily.

"I'll be downstairs then," Regina said and gave Grace a kiss on the forehead before she left.

Regina sat with Henry and watched the middle part of a movie about aliens that she really couldn't get into as her mind kept drifting to Emma. She didn't want to quiz Henry anymore because she didn't want to worry him but she knew something was up, she herself had spent many years of her life claiming that everything was okay while inside she fell apart. She could see the signs and they were worrying her greatly. After forty minutes Emma walking into the living room and Regina looked at her with a smile.

"Sorry that took so long," Emma said sheepishly, "I kinda lost track of time."

"No problem," Regina replied and attempted to scrutinise Emma in the dark light of the room, "would you like some tea?"

"No, I need to get going," Emma said quickly, "as I said earlier I'm pretty tired."

Henry jumped up from the sofa and came over and gave her a big hug around the waist and Emma looked like she was going to burst into tears at the sudden display of affection.

"Love you, Mom, see you in the morning," he said and she leant down and kissed him on the top of his head.

"Goodbye Henry," she said softly as she turned around and started to walk to the hall.

Regina caught up with her as she was grabbing her jacket from the closet, "so, breakfast tomorrow?"

"Yep, see you in the morning," Emma said as she opened the door.

"Goodnight, Emma," Regina said as Emma started to walk down the path. She noticed that Emma didn't reply and she watched as the blonde quickly rushed to the Bug and sped off. With a sigh and a shake of the head she closed the front door behind her.

Emma quickly wiped at the tears in her eyes and leaned forward as she concentrated on the road in front of her. She wished she had never gone over there that evening, she wished she had just dropped Henry off and then left. Now she was in tears because she'd had to see the perfect family together, she'd had to bath Grace and she'd had to say goodbye.

She left the town centre and started to put her foot down as she crossed the wooded area towards the edge of Storybrooke. She sniffed a few times and wiped at the falling tears again and tried to pull herself together.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Jesus!" Emma screamed as she jumped in shock and held onto the wheel with a death grip while she hesitantly glanced at the passenger who had suddenly appeared beside her in a purple mist, "Regina, what the fuck?!"


	50. Chapter 50

Emma slammed her foot down on the break and the Bug came to an emergency stop in the middle of the road, the town line just visible in the distance. She held the wheel tightly and her breath came in raggedy pants as she shakily looked to the passenger seat where Regina sat looking back at her having just lowered her arm from bracing herself against the dashboard.

"So," Regina said once the car had come to a full stop, "this genius plan of yours.."

"What.. why are you.." Emma started.

"Obviously you're not planning to tell anyone," Regina ignored her, "just going to leave without a word, probably a note somewhere in your apartment which would be useful just so your ridiculous parents don't assume I killed you. Because that would be their first thought."

Regina sighed and looked through the windshield, "so, you thought you'd drive off up this road, across the town line, away from your friends and your family. Where are you going?"

"How did.." Emma whispered shakily.

"Boston, doesn't everyone end up in Boston?" Regina questioned and looked at her, "how did I know your plan?"

Emma slowly nodded, her breath was still coming in fits and starts and her eyes had welled up with fresh tears.

"You mask your feelings well," Regina complimented, "to the untrained eye, but unfortunately, for you, I have spent a lifetime doing exactly that."

Emma continued to stare at Regina in shock and disbelief.

"More specifically," Regina continued, "you cancelled your therapy appointment, I checked.."

"You're spying on me," Emma responded.

"And then you lied to me," Regina countered, "you agreed to breakfast tomorrow without a second thought, you seemed relieved when Henry wanted to stay the night, you were so caught up in your own misery you forgot you even needed a crutch and left it at my house, you said goodbye to Henry and not goodnight. Goodbye, was that it? Was that what you were going to leave him with? Great parting words!"

"I didn't want to confuse him!" Emma claimed loudly.

"I think he'd be fairly confused when you don't turn up for breakfast, or at all!" Regina raised her voice before taking a deep breath.

"How did you find me?" Emma questioned as she looked away from the brunette and out at the darkened trees.

"Sidney," Regina whispered and Emma's head whipped around with a frown. Regina sighed and continued, "I might have had him put a locator on your car.."

"When?!" Emma demanded.

"Does it matter?" Regina said, "I knew you were leaving and I saw you speeding towards the edge of town and here I am."

"Why?" Emma ordered.

"You know why," Regina challenged.

"I'm not going back," Emma retorted, "you can say whatever you like but I'm not going back. Get out of the car, Regina."

"No, I'll stay here thank you," Regina said.

"Fine, come with me," Emma said as she put the car back into gear, "because I'm not stopping!"

The car started to move and Regina nodded and started to look for her seatbelt, "I better just put this thing on," Regina said, "especially considering I have no idea what will happen to me at the town line."

"What?" Emma demanded as she picked up speed.

"The town line," Regina pointed to the fast approaching orange line in the middle of the road, "I shouldn't be in this world, the curse protected me, outside of Storybrooke I may cease to exist, lose my memories, explode.. who knows?"

"You're shitting me," Emma said, "you've been outside of Storybrooke!"

"When the curse was active," Regina nodded, "now I honestly have no idea what will happen, but do carry on, I'm intrigued to find out.."

Emma slammed her foot on the brake and they skidded on the road before coming to a stop right by the town line, "get out of the car, Regina!"

"No," Regina said calmly, "I'm staying with you."

"Well, I'm driving over the line," Emma threatened.

"So I see," Regina nodded but she didn't look as calm as her voice sounded, Emma could see there was a distinctive look of fear in her eyes.

"Regina, you have a baby to look after!" Emma shouted at her.

"And you have Henry!" Regina responded.

"He doesn't need me!" Emma shouted, "none of them do! I've done what I came here to do, I broke the curse and now everyone has their happy ending, I'm done!"

Regina looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "so now the Saviour is leaving? Is that it? Job done and off you go back to your real life? Well, I'm sorry to point out that your work is substandard, Miss Swan."

Emma looked at her with a shocked expression, "excuse me? I broke your fucking curse!"

"Sort of," Regina sneered, "we're all still here so clearly you didn't. But that aside, everyone has their happy ending? I don't think you really believe that, do you?"

"That's what it looks like from where I'm sitting," Emma quipped, her hands still on the steering wheel and her foot still sat heavily on the brake of the car like the reverse of a loaded gun.

"What about the boy?" Regina asked.

"Henry?" Emma frowned.

"No, if I meant Henry I'd say Henry," Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head, "the boy, the boy who left you for dead at the building site."

"What about him?" Emma asked in exasperation.

"Well I don't think it sounds like he got his happy ending, does it, what did he say about his father?" Regina asked, "or doesn't he matter? Do you only focus on people you care about? Are you the Saviour who saves the people who you can be bothered with?"

"Don't. Regina. Just don't push me," Emma said as her fingers turned white as they gripped the wheel.

"I have to push you or you won't tell me what is going on!" Regina shouted back at her and Emma flinched as it was probably the most emotional she had ever heard Regina become.

"Why do you even care?!" Emma shouted back.

"Because I can't stand to see you breaking apart like this," Regina sighed gently as she took a deep breath, "please, tell me what is going on in that brain of yours and then.. then I'll go, I'll leave you to drive off wherever you wish. Just tell me what is happening, honestly."

Emma looked at Regina who was now staring at her hands in her lap and considered what lie she might tell the woman but then she considered that Regina seemed to be able to read her, maybe had her own version of the superpower.

"I'm.." Emma hesitated, "I'm.. terrified of being alone."

Regina nodded her understanding and willed Emma to continue. She knew that the wrong word now could utterly break the young woman and any chance she had of helping her.

"I feel so damn lonely," Emma whispered as tears began to fall down her face, "and don't say I'm not because I am.. loneliness isn't about having people around you.."

"No," Regina said in agreement, "you can be completely alone in a room full of people. Loneliness is a feeling."

Emma looked at her and nodded, "yeah.."

They both regarded each other for a while before Regina finally spoke, "this started because of me, didn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Because I made you Henry's legal guardian.." Regina explained and then tilted her head to the side as she considered, "or because I set events in motion that led you to a life in the foster system. Either really."

"This isn't your fault, it's mine," Emma shook her head sadly, "I'm the one who's messed up. I don't even understand it myself half the time."

"Then let me help you," Regina offered, "you feel lonely, like you don't belong?"

Emma nodded in agreement at the assessment.

"Like what you have is being taken away from you?" Regina questioned again.

More tears fell down Emma's face as she nodded again, "yes," she said shakily.

Regina licked her lips and considered what she wanted to say and then looked at Emma, "would you mind taking the car out of gear? I'm a bit concerned you'll lift your foot off the brake and we'll surge over the line."

Emma blinked and suddenly realised the situation they were in, she quickly nodded and placed the car in reverse and moved them back from the line before parking the car up.

"Thank you," Regina breathed a small sigh of relief, "Emma, I'm not going to pretend to understand what is going on in your mind, that would be patronising. But don't think I'm completely without a clue, I have experienced similar feelings so I feel I'm informed enough to say that running away won't help."

Emma shook her head and looked away.

"Well," Regina shrugged, "it will help this time, of course. Driving away from your parents, from Henry and from me will stop us from being able to hurt you, will prevent your feelings for them hurting you. But what about where you go? When your emotions from Storybrooke start to dissipate and you create an emotional attachment to someone else and then.. something triggers these feelings in you again? What then?"

"I don't know," Emma angrily bit out.

"Come on, Emma," Regina sighed, "you need a better answer than that!"

Emma angrily bit her lip as she looked out the window to avoid eye contact with Regina.

"As much as it pains me to say this," Regina rolled her eyes, "you're wonderful with Henry. He.. He is spoilt, I know that, he is a wonderfully kind and caring young boy but he is spoilt and he doesn't always understand the costs of his actions. He loves you very deeply and you are.. necessary in his life. He needs you. And Grace, you're so good with her," Regina chuckled to herself, "as strange as it may seem.. I was considering asking you to be her Godmother, in case anything were to happen to me.."

"Or in case you get bored again and decide to give her up.." Emma taunted.

Regina fumed, "I did no such thing.. you understand abandonment so you know exactly how it felt when you took Henry from me! Did you think I didn't feel the cold and the loneliness that you feel now? The worthlessness, the depression, thinking that you're not good enough!"

Emma closed her eyes and looked down at her lap, mortified, "I'm sorry, Regina, I shouldn't have said that."

Regina took a couple of low, calming breaths, "I think there is probably quite a lot that we both shouldn't have said. Shouldn't have done," she looked over at Emma, "but we're here now. Blame aside, I want to help you, Emma. Please let me help you.."

Emma laughed bitterly, "how do you propose to do that?"

"Through the knowledge and understanding that you are ill," Regina admitted, "and that you need treatment."

"Ill?" Emma frowned and then understanding flooded over her, "oh, you mean.. you mean mentally ill.."

Regina slowly nodded and waited for Emma to sort out her feelings on that subject. Slowly Emma turned to look at her, "I suppose you're right.. I am.. ill."

Regina breathed a silent sigh of relief that Emma hadn't become angered and watched as the blonde took this new information on board, her face twisting slightly. The understanding that this wasn't just the way it was, that maybe it was something that could be managed, that there could be help to be had.

"I'm not going to see Archie, he's a cricket," Emma said firmly and in a manner that made Regina laugh. At hearing the brunette's laughter Emma looked up in surprise but then mentally played back what she had said and chuckled as well.

"Agreed," Regina smiled, "but.. you'll let me help you?"

Emma looked at Regina with confusion, "I don't know how you can help.."

Regina shrugged, "neither do I but I want to try. I know what it's like to be surrounded by family but alone, cold and alone. Irrationally feeling like.. like the rug is about to be pulled out from under you and your worst fears are about to be realised."

Emma nodded and breathed, "exactly.."

Regina shifted in the seat to face Emma a little more, "you fear being alone, losing your family.. not.." she waved her hand as she fished for the correct word, "not being needed, right?"

At Emma's nod Regina continued, "all you're doing now is pushing yourself further away from your family, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. You need to throw yourself in, to hell with the fear of what may happen.."

"I.. I can't," Emma stuttered in fear, "I'll.. I don't know what would happen to me if I was rejected again," she admitted sadly.

"You won't be.." Regina implored.

"I don't agree," Emma shook her head.

"That's the fear talking," Regina pointed out, "however you may feel about yourself you are an important part of these people's lives. Snow and David love you unconditionally and they will be devastated if you leave.. not to mention that I'll go insane from all their 'I'll find you' nonsense that will no doubt follow.."

Emma laughed despite herself.

"And then there's my family.." Regina added carefully.

"You mean Henry," Emma said.

"I mean all of us," Regina said.

"You wanted me dead," Emma laughed.

"No, never dead," Regina said, "that would have broken the curse, I wanted you.. out of the way. But that was a long time ago."

"And now?" Emma asked hesitantly.

"Do you think I would have rescued you if you didn't mean anything to me?" Regina said deliberately.

"I don't know.." Emma said honestly.

"I.. I can't picture a Storybrooke without you in it," Regina admitted, "and I can't picture my life without you in it."

Emma stared at Regina with surprise and confusion, "what does that mean?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted with a small laugh, "I know it means that I want you to stay, to be a mother to Henry.. to be in Grace's life too."

"But why?" Emma frowned, "why on earth would you want me near Grace?"

"Because above all else I want my children to be happy, I know how good you are with Henry and I know you'd protect him with your life.. I know you'd be the same with Grace," Regina paused before continuing, "I understand that my children need more than just me, they need to be rounded individuals with other people in their lives and I know that I want your influence in their lives."

They sat in silence and then Emma suddenly stared at Regina in shock, "if you're here, then who's watching the kids?!"

"Calm down," Regina smiled, "there's a protection spell on them, if anything happens I'll go back."

"But you've left them alone," Emma continued to panic.

"Grace is asleep and Henry is watching the second part of that awful film," Regina said in a soothingly calm voice, "this is more important. The children are fine."

Emma dipped her head and slowly calmed down before saying, "it's.. irrational, like you say. I know that Henry loves me, but then there's this little voice that says he doesn't. I know Mary Margaret isn't trying to replace me because I failed her as a daughter but then there's this little voice, when I'm alone, usually at night and," she looked at Regina, "it's so damn convincing.."

"Those are the times you need to speak to someone," Regina said.

"I can't, I know myself," Emma said, "in those moment's there is no way I would call someone.."

"Stay at the house," Regina announced.

"What?" Emma hesitated.

"Stay at the house, at least in the short term. Or the long term, whatever you need. It would be a safe place for you, you'll be surrounded by family, we could all be together for a while until the worse of these fears subside. If it's the middle of the night and you feel that little voice creeping up on you then you only need to step out of your bedroom and you'll be able to talk to me, or watch Henry or cuddle Grace, she's always awake in the middle of the night," Regina rolled her eyes.

Emma laughed, "yeah, not big on sleeping is she?"

Regina shook her head, "no, unfortunately not," she took a breath, "what do you think?"

"I.. I don't know.." Emma wavered. The truth was it sounded like heaven, a full and happy house that she could be a part of. Near to Henry and Grace at all hours, but she didn't want to admit that she wanted it, because that was the first step to being let down, the first step towards that terrible, crushing feeling.

"I insist," Regina said and then smirked, "in fact, I demand it."

Emma laughed through her tears, "oh, do you now?"

"Yes, I believe we agreed that you owe me.. probably for the rest of your life.." Regina reminded her.

"I don't actually remember agreeing to that," Emma grinned.

"It was implied with the whole saving your life and nearly killing myself to prevent you from paralysis," Regina told her firmly but with a smile.

"What will people say?" Emma worried.

Regina smiled as she realised Emma had subconsciously given away that she desired the move, "who cares?"

Emma laughed, "not big on caring what people think, are you?"

"Actually I am," Regina admitted, "but not in this case. There's been a lot of upheaval in Henry's life, I'm recently out of hospital and we decided for you to stay at the house for a while to make things easier on him and to help me out. Perfectly reasonable."

"You're not going to make me tell everyone what's wrong with me?" Emma worried.

"And have Snow suffocate you? Absolutely not," Regina shook her head, "no, I think this is something you need to cope with without the whole of Storybrooke knowing."

"Just you and me?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Of course, unless you want to include anyone else?" Regina asked.

"No.. I.. I don't want Henry to know," she said shamefully.

"I understand, you don't want him to feel bad," Regina nodded, "I agree wholeheartedly with you.. does this mean I have a new house guest?"

Emma looked up and met Regina's eyes with her head still slightly ducked and whispered, "I think I'd like that.."

Regina smiled brightly and leaned forward and placed a small, comforting kiss on Emma's temple. It was chaste and over in an instant, "wonderful," Regina said, "then, please, drive us home, Miss Swan."


	51. Chapter 51

They drove the entire way back to Mifflin Street in companionable silence and as they pulled up outside the house Regina could see that Emma was starting to panic, "what do we say to Henry?"

Regina shrugged, "that we had a discussion and you're moving in for a while, what else is there to say?"

"Won't he question it?"

"Maybe," Regina said, "although he'll probably, wisely, remain silent and be just happy about the outcome."

Regina opened the door and stepped out of the car and then leaned in and looked at Emma, "coming in? I presume you have everything you need already packed?"

Emma nodded and got out of the car and opened up the front of the Bug and pulled out the suitcase and placed it on the ground and then picked up the holdall. Regina picked up the suitcase and frowned in confusion.

"The engine's in the back," Emma answered Regina's unasked question.

"I know that," Regina rolled her eyes, "I was wondering if this is all of it?"

Emma looked at the two bags, "yeah, why?"

"Nothing," Regina answered and closed the lid of the Bug, "let's go inside."

"I'm not sentimental," Emma told the retreating brunette.

"Oh, you are, you just don't like to be reminded," Regina called over her shoulder.

Emma locked the car and walked up the path to where Regina had already gone inside and softly called for Henry. Her pace slowed dramatically as she stepped onto the porch plinth and she saw Henry appear with a confused expression and she began to seriously consider what a bad idea this was.

"Good news, Henry," Regina smiled, "Emma is going to stay with us for a while, help me out with a few things and it means you don't have the disruption of going back and forth, at least at the moment. Could you take this case up to the spare room?"

Henry knew his adoptive mother's tone enough to know that questions and comments would be held until a more appropriate time so took the suitcase from her and smiled at Emma, "cool!"

Emma stepped in through the door and Regina took the holdall from her and shook her head, "you're limping a lot more than you were earlier."

"Tired," Emma explained and then remembered that that had been her go-to answer to everything that evening, "genuinely tired," she added at Regina's exploring gaze.

"I'm not surprised," Regina said and held out her hand, "give me your car keys."

"What?" Emma took a protective step back.

"Give me your car keys," Regina repeated and gestured with her hand that Emma should hurry up about it.

"But.."

"You can either give me the keys or I'll magic a clamp on the wheel of the car, completely your choice," Regina explained.

"Where did nice Regina go?" Emma sulked as she reached into her jacket pocket and grumpily handed Regina her car keys.

"She's tired, you get nasty Regina for now," Regina winked and the keys disappeared in a puff of purple mist. Emma looked concerned and Regina stated, "don't worry, you'll get them back, I just want to make sure I'm not on guard all night for the sound of you disappearing."

Emma nodded her understanding shamefully, "I'm sorry.."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Regina said softly, "I want you here, I just don't want that little voice to convince you otherwise. Now, go into the living room and make yourself at home, I'm going to take this up and prepare the guestroom," Regina said as she started to walk up the stairs with the holdall.

As Regina walked up the stairs she passed Henry on his way down and he smiled at her as he watched Emma disappear into the living room, "she's really staying?"

Regina turned to check Emma was out of hearing range, "yes, I need you to not question this, Darling."

"I won't," he nodded in an understanding beyond his years, "if it stops her from being sad then it's great."

Regina smiled, "go and ask her to make some hot chocolate for you and make sure she has some herself. There's Madeira cake in the usual place, try to get her to have some of that too."

Henry smile and made his way down the stairs and as Regina got to the top step she could hear his voice wheedling for hot chocolate and she smiled. She checked on Grace and then walked down to the spare room next door to hers and looked around at the dull room with a frown. She placed the holdall on the floor and pursed her lips as she thought for a moment and then a grin overtook her face as she had an idea.

She took a couple of steps back and closed her eyes in concentration, she'd used a lot of magic that day to recreate Henry's bedroom and she wanted to ensure she didn't do too much but she was sure she had enough strength. After a few moments she opened her eyes again and nodded with approval, she'd never been in Emma's bedroom before but the furniture seemed right. She approached the bed and looked at the bedside cabinet and saw a copy of Oliver Twist and when she opened the drawer she saw the Sheriff's badge which assured her that she'd switched with the correct room. With a happy nod of satisfaction she turned on her heel to join the others downstairs.


	52. Chapter 52

Regina walked into the living room to find it empty and frowned for a moment before making her way to the kitchen, she could hear low voices speaking within and hesitated outside the doorway.

"I know he was caught with spray paint in his bag a couple of times," Henry's said.

"And his dad works down at the cannery?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, he's not in trouble is he?" Henry said quietly.

"No, nothing like that, I just need to look into it," Emma replied.

Regina opened the door and walked in, "everything okay?"

"Yeah, Emma made me hot chocolate," Henry grinned.

"Emma added cream and marshmallows," Regina noted with a sly look towards Henry.

"Emma thinks this cake is delicious," Emma said with a smile as she picked another small slice out of a Tupperware container, "want some?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you," Regina nodded and set about making herself a cup of tea, "Henry, it's nearly time for bed."

Henry sighed but knew better than to argue and finished his hot chocolate and put his cup and dish in the dishwasher. Emma looked at him in shock, "he's trained?"

"Oh yes," Regina nodded, "is he not like this at home?"

Emma laughed and Henry looked up to the two of them, "I'm am right here, you know.."

"I'm surprised he can open the dishwasher," Emma joked, "and going to bed without an argument, never happens."

"I find ruling by fear works," Regina said casually as she poured the boiled water into a cup.

Henry laughed, "you two are like good cop and bad cop."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "I hope I'm good cop?"

Henry shook his head, "no, you're definitely bad cop, Emma's good cop."

"The insults just keep coming," Regina joked.

"I don't think the Evil Queen has the right to be miffed about being called bad cop," Emma grinned as she finished off her slice of cake.

"Anyone with the moniker of Saviour and good cop wouldn't understand," Regina winked as she pulled Henry into a hug and kissed him on the top of his head, "goodnight, Henry."

Henry hugged her and then stood beside Emma who was sat on the bar stool chair at the kitchen island, "night, Emma," he smiled, "I'm really glad you're here too, I would have missed you tonight."

Before she had a chance to respond he left the room and went up to bed shouting a "goodnight" to both of them over his shoulder as he went.

"Sorry about the cream and the marshmallows," Emma apologised, "I just wanted to spoil him a bit."

"Quite alright," Regina smiled.

"I won't make a habit of it," Emma assured her.

Regina nodded, "it's fine, really," she came and sat beside Emma and pointed to the Tupperware box of cake, "another slice?"

Emma shook her head, "no, I've already eaten far too much of it."

Regina smiled and put the lid back on the box and pushed it aside, "I overheard you talking to Henry before I came in, are you going to look for the boy?"

Emma nodded, "his name is Joshua, his dad works at the cannery, do you know either of them?"

Regina shook her head, "sorry, no, there are a great deal of people in Storybrooke.."

"I'll look through the records tomorrow," Emma replied as she picked a marshmallow out of her cup and ate it.

"What will you do?" Regina asked with interest.

"I want to talk to him, see what is happening with him and his dad. Help, if I can," Emma said and her eyes flickered up to Regina's, "someone told me that everyone deserves a happy ending."

Regina laughed, "not quite my words but I appreciate the sentiment. Will you book in another physical therapy session for tomorrow?"

Emma made a face and Regina laughed at the childishness, "it will be better than hobbling around with a crutch."

"Fine," Emma agreed as she covered a yawn.

Regina stood up and walked over to a small drawer in a sideboard and rummaged through some items before she picked something up and closed the drawer again. She walked over and handed Emma a key, "now you're living here, you should have your own key."

Emma stared at the key in surprise, "oh, right.. thank you.."

"Do you have dinner plans for tomorrow?" Regina questioned as she cleared away her cup.

Emma finished her hot chocolate and helped to clear up as well, "maybe, Mary Margaret wanted me to go and see her.."

"Sounds like a good idea," Regina said.

"I don't know," Emma admitted, "they have a knack of depressing the hell out of me."

"Know the feeling," Regina quipped with a grin as she wiped the surfaces down, "why don't you go to Granny's with them, public environment, easier to leave when you've had enough.."

Emma considered that and nodded, "yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she covered another yawn.

Regina sniggered, "definitely time for bed, I'll show you to your room.."

"Thanks," Emma said sheepishly, the warm and safe atmosphere of the house had immediately made her feel tired and she was looking forward to getting some rest after the hell of a day she'd had.

Regina turned all the lights off downstairs and walked up the staircase with Emma close behind her, "I want you to check in with me tomorrow," Regina told her firmly, "no debate, I want you to call me, as often as you like."

"Regina, I'll be fine," Emma promised as they got to the top of the stairs.

Regina turned around and regarded Emma, "you will check in with me tomorrow, good or bad."

Emma smiled, "yes Ma'am."

Regina dipped her head in appreciation and turned and walked down the corridor, "as you know this is Grace's room," she indicated the door and then the one opposite, "this is my room, don't hesitate if you need me for anything. This is the master bathroom, this is your room and that is Henry's room."

Emma looked up and down the hall and nodded as she opened the door to her new room only to take two backwards steps out again a couple of moments later.

"Is everything alright?" Regina asked in concern at Emma's paled face.

Emma stepped into the room again and looked around in astonishment, she stepped into the middle of the room and looked around with her mouth open. Regina stepped in as well and watched as the blonde examined everything.

"This is my room," Emma said before looking at Regina, "like.. my.. actual room. You've, like, moved all my stuff here?"

"I thought you'd be more comfortable if it was familiar," Regina grimaced, "unless there's bad memories? I could change it back? I just wanted you to feel at home. Home away from home."

"No, no, it's perfect," Emma grinned widely, "I'm just.. surprised, when did you do this?"

"When I brought your holdall up," Regina said.

"Oh, so preparing the guestroom actually means using magic to create this," Emma waved her hand around and then folded her arms across her chest and sternly regarded the brunette, "shouldn't you be resting your magic?"

Regina blushed at the accusation, "it didn't require that much power," she lied.

"You're lying," Emma told her.

"You must be tired," Regina told her nonchalantly, "your superpower isn't working."

Emma smiled and inclined her head, "thank you, I mean it, thank you for this.. for everything."

Regina nodded silently, "sleep well, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Regina," Emma said softly as the brunette left the room and closed the door behind her.


	53. Chapter 53

Emma walked down the stairs of the mansion while still buttoning her shirt, she got the impression that Regina and the rest of the Mills family were early risers and she wanted to fit in. She saw Henry had his rucksack on the dining room table and was packing it with stuff, "morning, Henry," she ruffled his hair as she passed him, "you know it's Saturday, right?"

He looked up at her, "yep, I'm just getting some supplies four our mission today."

Emma paused as she was about to enter the kitchen and turned around, "our mission?"

"Yeah, we're going to find out who Joshua is and who his dad is, remember?" Henry frowned at her.

Emma laughed, "er, nice try, I'm going to do that and you're staying here with your Mom."

"But, Emma.." Henry started.

"No buts," Emma told him and went into the kitchen in search of breakfast.

In the kitchen Regina was carrying Grace on her hip and loading the dishwasher while humming to a song that was playing quietly on the radio.

"Morning," Emma said quietly, not wanting to interrupt but also not wanting to creep up on Regina and frighten her.

Regina turned around with a smile, "sleep well?"

Emma shrugged, "not bad."

Before Emma could continue Henry came into the kitchen and looked at Regina, "Emma won't let me come with her today."

Regina smirked from Henry to Emma with a raised eyebrow, "and what qualities were you hoping to bring to the Sheriff's office today, Henry?"

"I'm good at stakeouts, finding stuff, I can sneak in small gaps in fences and I'm good at distracting people while Emma.."

Emma had quickly crossed the room and put her hand over Henry's mouth to silence him as she pulled him into a cuddle and looked up at Regina with a smile, "theoretically, of course," she said.

Regina pursed her lips and looked at the two of them before sighing, "well, if he is already so well trained in your espionage techniques then maybe you should take him with you.. Lord know what trouble you'll find yourself in without your sidekick."

Emma let go of Henry and he looked up at her with a pleading look, "please, Mom?"

The blonde looked over at Regina in an attempt to read her facial expression and see if she was angry but she seemed good-natured as she spoke to Grace about her brother's career in law enforcement.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Emma asked Regina.

"He is your son," Regina pointed out and as her eyes quickly flicked to Henry she added, "as well as mine.. whatever you think is best."

Emma considered it for a moment, "okay, Kid, but only until lunch and then I'm bringing you back here. And first I need breakfast.."

"Cool," Henry said and then looked at Regina, "can I play with Grace for a while?"

Regina nodded, "she didn't sleep well so she's a bit grouchy."

"Oh," Henry hesitated as he took a step towards Regina.

"It's a baby, it happens," Regina told him with a smile, "I'm just warning you that she may start crying."

"And then I'll bring her straight back," Henry said with a laugh.

Regina transferred Grace from her hip to Henry's chest and smiled, "or you could try to calm her down yourself?"

"How do I do that?" Henry frowned as he bounced Grace gently.

"Distraction, cuddles, soft words," Regina said, "like any human really.. comfort."

"Okay," Henry nodded, "we'll be in the living room.."

Regina watched Henry leave and then realised she was being watched by the other person in the room and looked at Emma with a raised eyebrow, "what?"

"Just wondering how anyone could call you the Evil Queen," Emma looked at her in surprise.

Regina laughed, "yes, well, I was a very different person then."

"What changed?" Emma asked.

"Cereal? Toast? I have some croissants if you'd like me to heat them up," Regina said casually.

"Croissants," Emma answered quickly before adding, "please.."

Regina opened a breadbin and picked out two croissants and started to fuss around the kitchen preparing some breakfast for Emma.

"I can wait all day," Emma told her as she leaned on the kitchen island.

"For what?" Regina asked.

"What changed?" Emma repeated with a roll of the eyes, knowing full well that Regina was trying to get out of answering the question, "what turned you from the Evil Queen into.." she gestured the brunette, "the kind woman who is making me breakfast."

"I had a startling fall from grace?" Regina questioned casually with a shrug.

"Nope," Emma said as she poured herself some orange juice, "then you'd be all bitter and twisted that your dastardly plans didn't work out."

"I see," Regina said noncommittally as she placed butter and jam in front of Emma.

"So, what changed?" Emma asked again, determined to figure out what had happened.

Regina sighed as she removed the croissants from the microwave and placed them on a plate, "to answer that I'd have to explain how I turned into the Evil Queen and that, my dear, is a conversation for another day."

Emma could see the emotions warring on Regina's face and nodded her agreement to drop the subject but softly said, "I'd like to know, one day, when you're ready to tell me.."

"Will you be having lunch here with Henry or are you just dropping him off?" Regina asked distractedly.

"I'll just drop him off," Emma replied, "I have a therapy appointment this afternoon and then I have a few errands to run and then I took your advice and invited my parents to the diner for dinner."

Emma looked up and Regina hopefully and Regina raised an eyebrow, "what?"

"I thought maybe you could join us?" Emma asked hopefully.

Regina laughed, "no, definitely not," Emma's face dropped into a sulk, "they're your parents, you have an obligation to see them. While things are certainly better between us I have no such obligation."

"That's mean," Emma jested.

"Looks like there is still some of the Evil Queen remaining," Regina said with a wink as she left the room.


	54. Chapter 54

The whole way to the Sheriff's station Henry had been beaming happily and it was driving Emma nuts so when she parked the Bug up in the parking space outside the front door she looked at him and asked, "what is going on?"

"What do you mean?" Henry asked with puzzlement.

"You're smiling like you just got a chocolate bar the size of Grace, what's up?" Emma said as she stared at him.

"Are you asking me why I'm happy?" Henry questioned with a bigger smile.

"No, I'm asking why you're happier than usual, like.. I dunno, uber happy.." Emma said with a nod, satisfied that she didn't sound ridiculous.

Henry shrugged, "sorry, I'm just happy.."

"But why?" Emma pushed.

"Mom's getting better, you're not dead, we're all living together, I like spending time with Grace, I dunno," Henry shrugged, "stuff is good. I'm happy."

"So.." Emma tried to not make it sound like a big deal as she casually asked, "you're okay with me living there? At your Mom's I mean.. it's not.. I dunno.. not weird or anything?"

Henry made a face, "no, why would it be weird?"

Emma counted to three in her head, she had started the conversation and now it was out of control and she wanted to reign it in, "I don't know," she shrugged, "just asking."

They sat in silence in the Bug until Henry turned to her, "are we going inside or are we waiting for something?"

Emma shook her head, "sorry, didn't sleep very well, let's go inside.."

They both entered the Sheriff's office where Sean was sat at a desk filling in paperwork, when he saw Emma he smiled broadly, "morning!"

"Hey, Sean," Emma smiled.

"Hi Henry," Sean said as he saw the boy follow her in, "what are you up to?"

"We're tracking down a perp," Henry nodded.

Sean smiled at Emma's eye roll, "we're just looking up some things," she said, "everything okay?"

Sean nodded, "yeah, all pretty quiet so I'm just catching up on the traffic violations and code changes from the Mayor's office."

"Great, we'll be in the archive room," she said as her and Henry entered the room filled with old wooden filing cabinets.

"I thought we'd be staking out the cannery?" Henry questioned.

"Yeah, but then we'd see cannery workers and I don't know which one I'm looking for," Emma smiled at Henry's enthusiasm, "sorry, Kid, a lot of this kinda work is searching for information in files."

"Sean used to work at the cannery," Henry pointed out.

"Which is why we're not telling Sean what we're doing, yet," Emma pointed out as she sought out the school records cabinet and opened a drawer.

"Don't you trust him?" Henry frowned.

"I trust him but when a case is close to someone they can be unpredictable, Sean might know Joshua's dad, they could be best friends, fishing buddies. It's best to keep things secret for now," Emma said as she pulled out a few files.

"Okay, there are sixteen Joshua's at your school," she said as she flipped through manila folders and check out information, "nine are too young, two are too old, two are black so we're left with..?"

Henry counted on his fingers, "three?"

Emma nodded, "yup, Joshua Richards?"

"He is in maths club, plays the trombone in school plays," Henry said.

"Okay, I'm guessing he isn't out graffiti artist," Emma said and then looked at the next one, "Joshua Wheat?"

Henry shook his head, "don't know him."

"And Joshua Battle?" Emma asked.

Henry shook his head again, "nope.. although.."

"What?" Emma asked.

"Everyone in Storybrooke has a name relating to their old life," Henry said, "Miss Blanchard, that means white, Sidney Glass was the man in the mirror.."

"Yes, so Joshua Wheat?" Emma frowned, "eats cornflakes?"

"Think about the old world," Henry told her, "maybe his family are farmers? Mom's name is Mills because her family were millers."

Emma nodded, "so.. Joshua Battle.."

"Doesn't sound good," Henry grimaced.

"Sounds like his family were fighters," Emma agreed.

"What now?" Henry asked as Emma kept one file out and started putting the others away.

"Now we cross reference and look for someone with the surname Battle who works at the cannery," Emma said as she walked along more filing cabinets.

"Do all towns have these files?" Henry asked.

"No," Emma said, "firstly the files they had would be on computer but they wouldn't have files on everyone like you do at Storybrooke. But I suppose with no one ever moving around and so much time to kill Graham was able to create a file for everyone, or maybe it's part of the curse?"

"Maybe Mom used them to keep track of people?" Henry suggested.

"Maybe," Emma paused and turned to look at him, "on that note, and remember my superpower, has your Mom asked you to spy on me?"

Henry shook his head, "no, why would she?"

Emma looked him in the eye for a moment and assessed he was telling the truth, "just wondering," Emma said as she opened a filing cabinet containing the cannery workers' files.

Henry stood on tiptoes and peaked into the first drawer as Emma picked up a file, "is that him?"

"John Joshua Battle," Emma read off the tab, "seems like it."

Emma opened the file and looked at the papers, "he's been arrested a few times, assault, threats.. generally not a nice guy," she said as she closed the file.

"What now?" Henry asked.

"This only tells us his cover story, we need to know who he was in the old world," Emma said as she thought for a moment, "looks like we're going to have to ask Sean after all. But we're not going to tell him why, okay, we need to keep it casual."

Henry nodded, "what's the plan?"

"Follow my lead," Emma said as she walked out of the archive room and back into the main office and loudly called over her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Henry, you can't go.. I don't even know who this Joshua Battle is!"

"Josh Battle?" Sean looked up.

"Yeah," Emma sighed, "Henry's been invited somewhere with some older kids, you know him?"

"Yeah," Sean nodded, "he's trouble," he looked at Henry, "you need to keep away from those kids."

Henry nodded his agreement and Emma asked, "what do you know about him?"

"Not a lot but his father works at the cannery, real piece of work," Sean said with a shudder, "he was one of Regina's guards, brutal bastard.. sorry," he indicated Henry.

"What was his name, in the old world, I mean?" Emma asked.

"Don't know his real name but he went by Dark Sword," Sean said, "he had a black sword, gifted to him by Re.. by the Queen, it could cut through anything and.." he looked at Henry, "he used it well."


	55. Chapter 55

Emma rushed into Granny's and spotted Mary Margaret and David sitting in a booth, "hey guys, sorry I'm late," she said as she quickly hobbled over, "my physical therapy session ran over."

Mary Margaret stood up and enveloped her in a hug, "it's so good to see you," she said and Emma looked over at David who just shrugged and looked confused.

"Yeah, I.. saw you yesterday," Emma told her when she let go.

"How are you?" Mary Margaret asked as she ushered her into the booth and then sat opposite her, "how's the leg?"

"It's getting there," Emma said, "need a few more sessions, but each session hurts so I really hate going," she laughed.

"You've got to look after your body," David nodded.

"Yes, you never know when it will fail you," Mary Margaret said with a fierce nod.

David rolled his eyes, "your mother.. is.."

"Losing my mind!" Mary Margaret interrupted, "I'll be brain dead by the end of this month!"

"It's the hormones from the pregnancy," David said with a small sigh, "she's getting a bit forgetful and a bit emotional."

"Ruby!" Mary Margaret cried happily as the waitress came over and she leapt up and pulled the tall woman into a hug.

"It was like this when she was pregnant with you," David told her quietly while Mary Margaret hugged the oxygen out of Ruby.

"Wow," Emma said as she stared at Ruby who looked like she was pleading for freedom, "how long does this go on for?"

"Snow, honey, put Ruby down," David called to his wife who had momentarily lifted the taller woman off the ground, "at least another three or four weeks," David shuddered at the thought.

Mary Margaret sat back down and Ruby picked her notepad and pen off of the floor, "can still lift you," Mary Margaret beamed.

"Yeah, you sure can," Ruby laughed, "right, what can I get you all?"

"Pancakes," Mary Margaret said quickly.

"Are you sure you want that for dinner?" David asked but immediately cowered down again at the look given to him.

"One order of pancakes," Ruby looked around the table.

"Cheeseburger, fries and a beer," Emma smiled.

"And same for me," David said.

"Cool, coming right up," Ruby said and hurried away from the table.

"So, erm, I have something to tell you," Emma looked at her parents with a worried expression and then quickly rushed out the next sentence, "erm, I'm kinda living at Regina's place for a while, to help with the baby and so Henry can be near her, you know, easier and yeah, helping out."

Mary Margaret's expression went from concerned to a beaming smile, "oh, Emma, that's wonderful news," she said and reached across the table and grabbed one of Emma's hands before turning to David, "isn't that wonderful, David? Emma's helping Regina out!"

Emma managed to extract her hand and looked from one to the other in confusion, "so, you don't mind?"

"Mind?!" Mary Margaret said, "it's great news, you're helping out. Living at Regina's, that will be so good for.. for Henry. Having you all together."

"Yeah," Emma said as she wondered if the strange behaviour on display in front of her was the signs of some kind of breakdown that she should be watching out for.

"That's great, Emma," David smiled but not as disturbingly as Mary Margaret, "makes sense for you to all be in one place, especially while Regina is still recovering, how is she?"

"She's good, her magic is coming back," Emma said without thinking and then paused as she looked at her parent's reaction but they both seemed unconcerned with the fact.

"Great," Mary Margaret said, "It's Regina's name day tomorrow, did you know that?"

"What's a name day?" Emma frowned, "is that like a birthday?"

"Not quite," Mary Margaret explained, "all the names in the old realm were assigned a day, our calendar is different to yours but I've calculated everyone's birthday and name day. Name day's are important, it's usual to give a small gift."

"So.. everyone called Regina will celebrate tomorrow?" Emma asked.

"Yes, although I think there's only one in Storybrooke," Mary Margaret considered the matter for a moment before shaking her head, "but it means you need to get a gift for her."

"Like what?" Emma frowned.

"Some flowers? Chocolates?" Mary Margaret nodded quickly, "a nice gesture, you know.."

"Right, I'll.. get on that," Emma said before pointing to the bathroom, "I'll be right back."

As soon as Emma was gone Mary Margaret turned to David and smacked him hard in the chest, "they're living together!"

"Ouch," David reared back, "what was that for?"

"This is such wonderful news!" Mary Margaret said happily, "they're living together already!"

"Yes, I know," David rubbed his chest.

"Such a cute family," Mary Margaret clapped her hands together quietly.

"Remember they're not actually together yet," David whispered, "or at least we don't think they are. And you promised no meddling.."

"No meddling, I promise," Mary Margaret whispered.

"Like telling Emma about Regina's name day wasn't meddling," David laughed.

"I wonder if they'll have more children," Mary Margaret leaned her head on her hand and sighed.

"I don't think that's possible," David said as he turned around to check Emma hadn't returned yet.

"They could adopt again," Mary Margaret pointed out, "or get a sperm donor, Emma have another baby," she gasped happily, "a grand baby."

"She's coming back," David warned.

Emma sat down just at the moment Ruby delivered the meals and they all thanked her and she hurried away again, keen to be away from Mary Margaret's hormonal outbursts.

Mary Margaret smiled at Emma and Emma frowned, "do I have something on my face?"


	56. Chapter 56

It was late when Emma finally got to Regina's Mary Margaret had insisted that they all went back to their apartment and it took Emma quite a while to formulate an escape plan. Although once she said she wanted to get back before Regina went to bed Mary Margaret was practically kicking her out of the door.

The lights were on but she still crept into the house quietly in case everyone had gone to bed, the sound of instrumental music was gently playing from the downstairs study and Emma approached and quietly knocked on the door.

"Come in," Regina's voice softly carried through the room.

Regina was sat at a large desk working through pieces of paper with a pair of rimmed glasses on her face that somehow seemed to soften her face.

"Hey," Emma said as she stood in the doorway.

"Finally managed to escape?" Regina smiled.

"Yeah," Emma sighed, "she's a bit nutso with pregnancy hormones, gives me an insight into what I must have been like."

Emma looked at the open log fire that was pumping out heat into the room and at the piles of work on Regina's desk, "I'll leave you to it.."

"Please don't," Regina chuckled throatily, "I'd love an escape, please, sit down," she gestured the comfortable looking tub chair opposite her desk.

Emma smiled and walked over to the chair and sat down, "what are you working on?"

"Taxes, new school curriculum funding, correcting the hospital equipment buy-back plan," Regina listed.

Emma frowned, "wait, you're.. doing town work?"

"Yes," Regina said as she shuffled papers around, "how did you think you got paid each month? The Mayor is a cricket."

"You're still doing the Mayor's job?" Emma blinked.

"Some of it, finances are not Archie's strong suit," Regina admitted.

"You're.. spending your evenings doing the town budget and finances?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Not all of them," Regina corrected, "but some, yes."

Emma smiled and shook her head, "they couldn't do it could they? They have no idea how to run this place do they?"

Regina grinned, "no, they took it all from me but then they questioned this and then that and before long it was just easier to do all the paperwork myself. I didn't have much else to do back then.."

Emma nodded her understanding and before she had a chance to respond Regina questioned, "how was your therapy session?"

"Painful," Emma winced.

"I thought it was supposed to help you not hurt you?" Regina asked with a frown.

"Apparently no pain no gain," Emma shrugged lightly, "it's okay, I'm getting there."

"Maybe I should revisit the injury," Regina offered.

"No, no way," Emma put her hands up, "I don't want you to hurt yourself like that again, I'm absolutely fine, I'll go through a few weeks of miserable PT and then I'll be fine."

Regina nodded, "if it doesn't get better in eight weeks then we'll revisit this conversation."

Emma had no intention of allowing Regina to harm herself any further on her behalf but she also had no intention of arguing with Regina either so she nodded an agreement.

"I told my parents that I am staying here," Emma said and watched Regina's expression with interest.

"I see, should I expect Charming to crash through the window with his sword soon?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

"No, they seemed.. strangely fine, even happy, about it," Emma replied.

"Maybe your mother's pregnancy hormones haven't allowed her to accurately process it yet," Regina pointed out.

"Possibly," Emma said, "by the way, do you know John Battle?"

Regina nodded, "I do."

"His son was the boy," Emma told her.

"The one who left you?" Regina clenched her fist on the desk and Emma nodded, "John Battle was one of my finest soldiers."

Emma looked at Regina and realised that those words coming from the woman in front of her seemed so strange and out of context. The woman in front of her wore a soft lilac sweater, had gently flowing locks of hair pushed behind her ears and wore glasses as she worked on paperwork by a dim desk lamp and was bathed in the flickering glow of the flames from the fireplace. To think she had commanded an army seemed preposterous.

"I didn't know he had a son," Regina whispered softly, "but then I didn't care much for anyone then."

"He works at the cannery, I haven't spoken to him yet, I'm going to do some more digging and see what I can find," Emma told her, "plenty of kids claim their parents harm them but it doesn't mean it's true."

"Some children claim their mother is the Evil Queen," Regina looked at Emma with a knowing look before standing up, "it's late, I should be getting to bed."

Emma stood up and watched as Regina used magic to extinguish the flames in the fireplace, "I'm sorry if Grace kept you awake last night," Regina said as they started to turn lights off in the hallway.

"I was already awake, I didn't sleep too well," Emma admitted as the climbed the stairs, "in fact," she hesitated and then shook her head, "no, never mind."

"What is it?" Regina asked her softly.

They stopped at the top of the stairs and Emma folded her arms and looked down at her feet as she muttered, "you know.. when.. you drugged me?"

Regina smirked, "I used magic to make you sleep, yes?"

"When.." Emma paused and took a deep breath, "when you did that, I slept better than I had in ages.. I.. well.."

"You'd like me to magic you to sleep again?" Regina looked surprised.

"Could you do that?" Emma asked quietly.

"Yes, of course, if you trust me to?" Regina said.

"Yes," Emma nodded, "I do trust you, I just want some sleep, some uninterrupted sleep with no nightmares.."

Regina nodded, "I understand, how long do you need to prepare for bed?"

"Ten minutes?" Emma shrugged.

"Go and get ready and I'll come in in ten minutes," Regina promised.

"You don't mind?" Emma asked, "this won't hurt you will it?"

Regina pushed her up the corridor gently, "I don't mind and it won't hurt, myself or you, now go and get ready."

Emma nodded and went to prepare for bed, quickly getting changed into her white sleep shorts and t-shirt and brushing her hair, washing her face and brushing her teeth. When she was done she sat nervously on her bed and waited for Regina to come in. She felt embarrassed now the time was getting nearer, she felt as if she were foolish to ask for such a thing, like she was a grown woman asking for a bedtime story. There was part of her that felt like she was waiting for a medical procedure and she could feel her pulse racing.

Suddenly there was a gently knock on the door and Emma called out for Regina to come in, some of the nerves disappeared at the sight of the older woman in her dark blue silk pyjamas and matching robe. Regina smiled, "are you ready?"

Emma nodded and took a deep breath as she sat still on the bed waiting for sleep to come and knock her out.

"Maybe you should get into bed and lay down?" Regina suggested gently.

Emma quickly pulled back he covers and pushed herself into the cool sheets and looked up at Regina with a nervous look.

"You don't seem sure about this," Regina pointed out.

"I'm fine, I just know it's coming this time," Emma laughed softly.

Regina smiled, "goodnight, Emma."

"Goodnight," Emma nodded and closed her eyes.

Regina slowly waved her hand over the blonde's face and when she saw the stiffness in her body finally relax she turned off the bedside lamp and left the room.


	57. Chapter 57

The sound of a baby crying pulled Emma from her deep sleep as it had done a few times that night but now it was morning and the early morning sun was beginning to show itself through the bedroom blinds. Although she had slept through the majority of it she knew that Grace had been awake a lot the previous night and Emma was thankful that Regina had sent her to sleep with a spell or she knew she'd be feeling terrible from the broken sleep.

She kicked off the covers and quickly made her way to Grace's room, she wasn't in all-out crying mode yet and Emma wanted to see if she could calm her before she managed to wake a, probably, exhausted Regina up again.

Entering the room she quickly closed the door again behind her in an attempt to muffle some of the sounds, "shh, Gracie," she soothed, "Mommy's sleeping so you'll have to make do with me."

She picked up the baby girl and held her close to her chest, she had heard somewhere that babies liked to hear your heartbeat as it reminded them of being in the womb. She had no idea if it was true but Grace seemed to settle a little when she was picked up and Emma held her close and cuddled into her yet she still snivelled.

"Wow, you're unhappy, is this because I moved in?" Emma laughed softly, "I hope not, maybe it's because I haven't been reading Oliver Twist to you?"

Grace continued to occasionally cry and splutter but her noises were calming a little as Emma walked around the room.

"It's okay, I'll read you some more later," Emma promised, "I know we left at a tense place but don't worry it all works out in the end. Well," Emma considered, "it actually gets much worse.."

Grace let out a little sob and Emma quickly held her tighter to her chest, "but it works out in the end," Emma added, "everything works out just fine. Books are weird like that, no matter how bad things are they always seem to work out a solution in the end."

Emma looked down at Grace's screwed up face and kissed her forehead, "come on, Sweetheart, you need to quieten down or you'll wake your Mommy and after all your crying last night she is probably exhausted."

Emma walked Grace to the window and looked outside as she rocked Grace, "your Mommy put me to bed last night and you don't see me crying," Emma started to ramble, she'd also read that talking to a baby who was held against your chest helped to soothe them.

"And you got milk and a bedtime story," Emma continued, "I didn't get any of that, no, just a spell or something and I was asleep."

Grace started to fidget and let out a new, loud cry and Emma quickly rocked her again, "it's fine, I don't mind," she whispered but Grace cried again, "she wouldn't do that to you, you'll always get your milk and a bedtime story, lots of kisses and cuddles, no sleeping curse for you. She doesn't do that anymore. See? I'm proof, ta-dah!"

Grace let out a giggle through her tears and Emma laughed, "oh you like that do you? Ta-dah!"

Emma tickled Grace's feet softly and then made the sound again and the girl let out a small giggle again, "you're easily pleased," Emma noted before she made the sound again. But then Grace started to cry again and Emma realised her ta-dah trick was at an end, "okay, no more of that," she cupped Grace's diaper with her hand, "that doesn't seem to be a problem, you can't be hungry because I heard Mommy give you a bottle a couple of hours ago, what is it Princess?"

"She's teething," Regina said from the doorway and Emma jumped a little at the sudden interruption.

"Sorry, I tried to keep her quiet," Emma whispered apologetically. Regina pulled her robe a little closer and stepped into the room, allowing Emma to see her slightly unruly hair and dark rings around her eyes.

"I heard," Regina smiled knowingly.

"Sorry, was I a bit loud?" Emma asked with a frown because she had done her best to be quiet.

Regina reached into her pocket and pulled out a small electronic device that Emma recognised as a baby monitor and immediately began replaying her conversation in her mind, "right, erm, sorry.."

"It's fine," Regina smiled, "I thought I better come in and let you know."

Emma grinned, "that everything I say is being recorded and might be used against me in a court of law?"

Grace started to squirm at the complete lack of attention she was getting and Emma tried to bounce her but the baby girl kept straining around to see Regina, "I think she wants you," Emma said and Regina nodded.

Regina put the baby monitor back into her robe pocket and then crossed the room to meet Emma in the middle and took Grace from Emma and held her against her own chest. Grace's hand slid through the v-neck opening of Regina's pyjama shirt and she appeared to be kneading at Regina's skin beneath. Emma couldn't help but notice, she'd seen it happen a few times before with Grace and she wondered what it meant.

"She seems to find it comforting to grab at my skin there," Regina said as she followed Emma's gaze, "if I wear a roll neck sweater she gets very upset, it's a comfort thing," she shrugged, "does she do it with you?"

Emma shook her head, "no, not that I've noticed.."

"Hmm," Regina nodded, "thank you for coming in here, I'm sorry that she kept you awake again last night, offering you a room here probably wasn't as calming as I'd hoped!"

Emma was watching Grace as the little girl kneaded at her mother's skin beneath her clothes and had almost fallen back to sleep in her arms and Emma wondered what the trick was or if it was just Regina that could prompt this response, "it's wonderful," Emma smiled distractedly, "it's nice to know she is here, that you're all here."

Regina agreed, "yes, a baby screaming throughout the night would certainly help you to not feel like you're alone, not so great for your sleep pattern though."

"You should have a break today," Emma pointed out, "have a sleep in, or a nap, I'll take Grace."

Regina shook her head, "I couldn't do that, I invited you here as a guest not free babysitting services."

"I'd be happy to do it," Emma argued, "besides it's not like you're going out for a night on the town and getting drunk, you're getting some much needed sleep."

Regina seemed hesitant, "are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"I'd love to, I could take her out, me and Henry could take her for a walk in the park and you can have a nap," Emma suggested as she continued to watch Grace.

"I would like that," Regina finally admitted, Emma suspected more through sleep exhaustion.

"Great, you can do that sleeping trick on yourself," Emma pointed out with a grin.

"Sadly not," Regina shook her head, "it doesn't work on oneself and only on those who wish it."

Emma considered that, "so.. if I hadn't wanted to go to sleep.. it wouldn't have worked?"

"Exactly," Regina said.

"So that first night, when you knocked me out on the sofa," Emma said and Regina laughed at the phrasing, "I wanted you to knock me out.."

"You wanted to sleep," Regina corrected.

Emma reached forward and gently tugged Grace free from Regina's arms and cradled her in her own arms. At Regina's frown she said, "I can take her from here, I'm just a warm body now, you get some sleep.."

Regina looked at her and looked like she was about to argue the point but then nodded her agreement, "don't hesitate to come into my room if you need me, if Grace needs me," she half-heartedly corrected before taking one last lingering look at the girl and leaving the nursery.


	58. Chapter 58

Emma sat on a bench in the park and smiled as she watched Henry excitedly running around With Grace in his arms, swooping her around like she was flying and making wooshing noises that made her giggle.

She was amazed how calm and at ease she felt, of course the niggling fears and doubts were still there but they didn't pop to the forefront of her mind like the had done in the past. A sense of order was in the process of being restored to her life and she didn't feel so frantic and exhausted anymore. Watching Grace and Henry was soothing and blissful even if they fear of losing them was still just beneath the surface of her smile.

Regina seemed to understand her fears and her thought processes and had easily calmed her and integrated her into life at the Mills' residence and it didn't feel awkward like she had initially feared. Originally she had been worried that she would feel like she was under observation and being treated like a fragile object but that hadn't been the case at all. Regina had been a perfect hostess in making Emma feel welcome but not obligated, breakfast, lunch and dinner were always available but Emma didn't feel compelled to join in or like she was intruding if she did.

She was pleasantly surprised how easy it had been to slip into a comfortable pattern and she loved having instant access to Grace and Henry and, as her confidence grew, she was planning on taking on more responsibility with both the children. Oddly Regina was not smothering Grace and refusing for her to interact with other people, she seemed happy to allow other people to care for the baby and Emma was beginning to understand that this person was very different from the one she met when she first arrived.

Still intrigued with the story of the metamorphosis from Regina to Evil Queen and back again Emma was making plans to bring the subject up with Regina again. She knew the brunette was not particularly happy with the idea of discussing it but Emma desperately wanted to know more about what had happened in the Enchanted Forest. She also knew there were two sides to every story and so far she only had a story book and a few tales from her parents to explain what had happened to Regina to turn her into the fearsome Queen.

Emma often thought back to her first weeks in Storybrooke and the fights she got into with Regina and, as time went on, she began to recognise that the actions of the former Mayor were born out of fear and a need for control. For the longest time Emma had genuinely thought that Regina was a sociopath, hell bent on getting her way. But, in hindsight, Emma could see that Regina had been on the edge, her life was toppling down all around her and she was desperately trying to keep all the plates spinning.

That desperate need for control usually stemmed from a rebellion at a previous lack of control, Emma understood that having spent the first sixteen years of her life having no control over her world. Emma couldn't understand where the lack of control could have come from as Regina used to be a Queen and surely with royalty came power. But then Emma could detect an occasional terror in Regina's eyes when something wasn't going her way, previously the brunette would have exploded and rained fire from the sky but that volatile woman was fast disappearing.

"Mom," Henry said as he approached with Grace in his arms, "how long do you think you'll stay?"

"At the park?" Emma frowned.

"No, at the house.." Henry said gently.

"Oh," Emma looked down at her feet, "I.. I don't know, we hadn't really talked about it."

"Okay," Henry nodded, "I just think it would be cool to stay longer, I think Mom appreciates the help with Grace and I really like us all being together.. but if you go home then I have to go home too.."

Emma smiled softly, "well, we will see what happens but I don't have any plans to go back to the apartment yet so don't worry."

Henry nodded and was about to speak when he noticed someone approaching them and smiled, "hey, Mom!"

Emma spun around to see a refreshed looking Regina walking towards them with a cardboard holder of three hot takeaway drinks, "hey," Emma smiled.

"How are my three favourite people?" Regina smiled as she leaned in and kissed Grace as Henry held the baby up for her.

"We're good, Grace is learning to fly," Henry said before swooshing the girl again.

Regina laughed, "well, when you're done with your lesson I have a hot chocolate for you."

"Cool, thanks Mom, I'll grab it soon," he said as she rushed off with Grace again.

Emma watched as Regina sat down, still trying to fathom out the favourite people comment before deciding to ignore it.

"Coffee," Regina said and handed Emma a takeaway cup.

"Thank you," Emma said as she gratefully accepted the drink, "did you manage to get some rest?"

"I did, thank you," Regina smiled, "you have been gone a while, I was beginning to think you had kidnapped Grace."

"I'm sorry," Emma began to panic, "I should have called but we've just had such a busy day.."

"I'm joking," Regina placed a calming hand on Emma's forearm, "don't worry."

Emma gave a half smile and took a sip of her coffee.

"So, what have you been up to?" Regina asked as she watched Henry holding Grace and throwing stones into the pond and showing the girl the ripples.

"We went to Granny's, totally got mobbed," Emma laughed, "everyone loves Grace so we went to see Mary Margaret to feed and change her, she owed me a diaper change."

"Your poor mother," Regina winced, "I love Grace with all my heart but what comes out of her is vicious."

Emma spluttered a laugh, "you can't say that, you're her mother, you have to defend her!"

"It's indefensible," Regina deadpanned, "I'm dreading when she moves onto solids.."

"Ew," Emma scrunched her nose up, "oh, I think Mary Margaret is trying to set me up."

"Set you up?" Regina looked confused.

"Play matchmaker," Emma clarified, "no idea with who but she kept going on about it being nice to have someone to support you, come home to someone blah blah blah."

"Oh dear," Regina laughed, "do you have any idea who she's seeking to match you with?"

"No, she was smooth," Emma laughed, "she's selling the idea of a relationship first and then she'll move on to the big reveal."

"Your mother isn't great at subtlety," Regina shook her head.

"No," Emma agreed, "she's terrible.. oh, she offered to take Grace one night if you like? I said she was teething and having trouble sleeping and she said she'd love to help out. I didn't say anything, I didn't know what you'd think about it so.. the offer is there if you want."

Regina considered it, "I have been wondering how to punish Snow for decades, maybe a teething baby who has recently started eating solid food would be an answer.."

Emma laughed, "anything to distract her from setting me up!"


	59. Chapter 59

That evening Henry and Emma had done all they could to help Regina out including feeding and bathing Grace, cooking dinner and even doing some laundry. Regina had complained the whole time that she wasn't an invalid but both of them insisted that they wanted to help out and let her rest. The truth was that she did feel tired, the stress and worry of the last few days as well as the, seemingly, endless sleepless nights with Grace teething was beginning to wear her down. She had managed to get some sleep while Emma took to Grace and Henry out for the afternoon but she was still exhausted and her shoulders were tight from the tension.

Emma had insisted on putting Grace to bed that night and Regina sat in the living room watching television with Henry while she was gone. Every few moments Regina would tip her head slowly to the left followed a few moments later by the same movement to the right and then later she would circle her head one hundred and eighty degrees.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Henry asked.

"Yes, dear," she told him with a forced smile.

"It's your shoulders again isn't it?" he asked knowingly.

"It's fine, just a little tight, it will work itself out," Regina told him but as the words were coming out of her mouth he stood up and walked around the sofa until he was stood behind her.

"Sit back," he instructed her and she shuffled back in the seat so her back was closer to him. Regina had perfect posture but she also had terrible habits of working too late and hunching over her desk for many hours a day. Tense shoulders were something that Henry knew all too well and had often massaged his mother's shoulders while he was growing up.

Regina recalled the first time he had told her he wanted to help and she had jokingly suggested that he could try to massage her shoulders, small hands attempted to soothe her muscle knots but instead he simple ended up hitting the tension in her muscles. Even that had helped and Henry had been so pleased that he had been able to do something for her, the woman who did literally everything for him.

As time went on Henry would notice when she had trouble with her shoulders and would offer to help and eventually had become quite adept at massaging her shoulders and working out the muscle knots and the tension.

Henry put his hands on her shoulders and started to squeeze the tight muscles while looking over her head at the television, "do you think any of the Marvel superheroes are real?"

Regina smiled, "I don't know, I've never come across them but that certainly doesn't guarantee anything."

"Because there are fairy tales and they are around because people have crossed over to the other worlds and written about them, right?" Henry continued.

"Yes," Regina agrees, "but fairy tales go back hundreds of years, comic book heroes go back less than one hundred years."

"But it's possible," Henry pushed, "there could be a world where there's Ironman and Captain America and the Hulk.."

"Possibly, but not in any form you would recognise, the stories are very much about this world's culture and locations," Regina pointed out.

"True," Henry said, "could you magic me into being Ironman?"

Regina laughed out loud at that, "no," she lied, "that's a bit beyond even my powers."

Emma walked into the room, "what's beyond your powers?"

Regina had her eyes closed and was enjoying the feeling of blood finally being able to rush around her shoulders and neck, "turning Henry into Ironman," she muttered as Henry dealt with a particularly troublesome knot.

Emma sat in the armchair and watched as Henry massaged Regina's shoulders like an old pro while they got into a debate about what aspects of Ironman Regain could conjure up. It was obvious to Emma that this was a frequent occurrence in the Mills' household and she could easily see Regina spending countless hours working and Henry kindly helping his mother with the pain.

"Did you think about Mary Margaret's offer?" Emma asked casually and in a way that Henry wouldn't push the subject.

"I did," Regina said with her eyes still closed and an occasional wince passing across her features when Henry's hands came across a particularly tight muscle, "I was thinking tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow what?" Henry frowned.

"Your grandmother is going to babysit your sister for a night," Regina told him and opened her eyes when he abruptly released her.

"Can I go too?"

Regina turned around to look at him with confusion, "you want to sleep over at Mary Margaret's and David's?"

"If Grace is gonna be there, sure," Henry smiled.

"You do know that Mary Margaret and David are perfectly capable of looking after a baby on their own?" Emma asked him.

"Yeah, of course," Henry shrugged, "it's just they might not know that she likes her giraffe bottle better than the elephant one and in the bath she doesn't like water on her hair."

Emma looked at Regina and raised an eyebrow and Regina smiled as she said, "you're welcome to say over there but as Emma says they are capable, even if I do hate to admit it, they would figure those things out for themselves."

Henry shuffled nervously as both his mother's looked at him, "I'd like to go," he admitted.

Regina nodded, "that's fine," she said and looked at Emma who also nodded as she said, "I'll call Mary Margaret in the morning."

Regina looked at the clock, "Henry, it's time for you to go to bed, there's school in the morning."

"I know," Henry sighed and walked around the sofa and leaned down to hug Regina, "night, Mom," he said and then walked over to Emma and repeated the procedure before disappearing up the stairs.

"Someone's overprotective," Emma commented and was surprised when Regina laughed, "what?"

"Charming genes, you're all the same," Regina said with a grin, "I'll find you, I'll save you, I'll always be there for you," she mocked with a wink.

Emma picked up a small throw cushion and went to throw it at Regina and then paused, "is your shoulder okay?"

"Yes," Regina said casually, "just some tightness, I get it all the time."

"Okay," Emma said and launched the cushion through the air and laughing when it hit Regina softly in the face. Regina laughed and threw it back, waving her hand so it dispersed as it hit Emma's head into hundreds of droplets of water.

"Regina!" Emma cried out as it rained above her head and dived to the side to try to avoid the cushion slash cloud that was hovering above her.

"Haven't I told you to never underestimate me?" Regina asked with a small smile as she waved her hand and the water evaporated and Emma instantly dried and the cushion appeared where it had began it's journey.

"What can I say? I like playing with fire," Emma grinned as she placed her hands on her clothes to check if she was dry.

"You wouldn't have lasted five minutes in the Enchanted Forest," Regina scoffed.

"Probably not as you were on your way to kill me before the curse was enacted," the words were out of Emma's mouth before she had a chance to stop them and her head snapped up and she could see Regina stiffen, "shit, I'm sorry, Regina, I didn't think.."

Regina nodded slowly and swallowed as she said, "no, don't apologise, you're right," she looked at Emma with a haunted look, "I would have killed you when you were a new-born."

Emma attempted some humour, "but you've kinda learnt to tolerate me now, right?"

Regina let out a breathy laugh, "something like that.."

"Will you tell me?" Emma hesitantly asked.

"Tell you what?" Regina asked while picking invisible fluff from the sofa.

"About the you," Emma said, "what happened, everything."

Regina shifted, "I don't see what good it would do.."

"I don't feel I know much about you," Emma admitted, "just what I'm told.. and what's in the book but that doesn't explain anything."

"Maybe it's indefensible?" Regina pointed out.

"I don't believe that," Emma shook her head, "the person in the book and the person sat in front of me are so far removed from each other."

"People change," Regina shrugged but winced due to her painful shoulder.

"Not that much," Emma said, "I don't think you were actually evil.."

"That was a name given to me," Regina said, "not self-appointed."

"Precisely," Emma said, "I want to know who the real you is.. was.. whatever."

"Maybe," Regina said distractedly, "I think I am also going to go to bed," she stood and looked at Emma, "do you need me to help you?"

Emma's eyes went wide with confusion until she understood what Regina meant, "oh! Erm, no, thank you, I think I'll be okay tonight."

"Are you sure?" Regina frowned in uncertainty.

"Absolutely," Emma smiled, "I'm going to stay up and watch some television."

Regina nodded, "very well, see you in the morning."

"Night, Regina," Emma said as she watched the brunette leave the room.


	60. Chapter 60

**Note:**

This chapter contains references to Regina's past including some disturbing incidents which, while not explained in any details, may upset some people.

* * *

><p>Emma was exhausted. At four o'clock in the morning she finally admitted to herself that it would have been a good idea to take Regina up on the offer of helping her sleep because by then she hadn't slept for more than fifteen minutes in total. Although Grace had been awake a few times during the night that hadn't been the reason for Emma's sleeplessness, more an overactive brain.<p>

By the morning Emma felt like a zombie and drifted around the kitchen seeking out sugary cereal that would keep her going through the work day. She offered to take Henry to school on her way to the station and then to drop Henry and Grace off at Mary Margaret's before dinner before returning to the station for a team meeting over takeout from Granny's.

So when Emma finally got back to the house she was exhausted. Creeping in through the front door at ten in the evening she had no idea if Regina would be awake or in bed so she was surprised when all the lights were off but there was a dim glow coming from the living room.

As she walked into the living room she saw Regina in her pyjamas and dressing gown with a glass of white wine and an empty glass in front of what was now regarded as Emma's armchair.

"Hi," Emma said quietly so she didn't surprise the brunette.

Regina looked at her with a small smile and nodded her greeting silently and indicated the bottle of wine in the cooler on the coffee table.

"No thanks," Emma smiled as she sat in the armchair and started to take her boots off, "what are you doing?"

"At the centre of it all I would say my story is about lost love," Regina said without looking up.

The brunette took a sip of wine and Emma paused in the process of removing her boots and looked up at Regina with a slightly open mouth of surprise. They were doing this and they were doing this now, Emma knew she didn't have much hope of getting another chance so she nodded and asked, "a love that you lost?"

Regina nodded, "his name was Daniel, have you been told about him?"

Emma shook her head in the negative and then verbally said no when she realised Regina wasn't going to make eye contact any time soon.

A sad chortle escaped Regina's lips and then a nod of understanding before taking another sip of wine, "my.. mother," she began, "was a very determined woman. She had very specific goals for me in mind and she was.. obsessed.. with my path in life."

Regina looked up and Emma could just about make out in the dim light the rosy cheeks and the red eyes of someone who had shed tears.

"My mother had a plan for me to be Queen, probably since before I was even born. She had magic and she used it to control me, to mould me into what she wanted me to be. She allowed me some freedoms but they were few and far between and often used as bargaining chips. When bribery didn't work she would.." her voice became thick, "restrain me.. with magic."

Emma could feel her mind and her mouth warring with things she desperately wanted to say, comfort she wanted to offer but she didn't know what the right thing to say was and she knew that Regina needed to let this out into the open just as much as she needed to hear it.

"There was a man, Daniel," Regina smiled at the memory, "who worked in the stables and he was kind and handsome and.." she shook her head as if to prevent the memories coming back to her too thick and fast.

"I loved him," she said simply as she looked into the burning log fire that gave off the only light in the room.

"One day your mother and your grandfather were visiting near to where we lived. Your mother's horse went out of control with her on it, I was with Daniel in the stables when I heard a child screaming for help. I didn't think, I jumped on my horse and I went after her. I had no idea who she was I just saw a young girl crying and screaming for help, I rode alongside her and pulled her from the horse," Regina looked at Emma with a small smile, "I didn't know then that my mother had used her magic to startle the horse and set the whole thing in motion."

Emma nodded and fumbled with her hands, she eventually decided she would need a drink and something to do with her hands if she were to survive this conversation so she leaned forward and picked up the bottle and began to pour herself some wine.

"Your grandfather, King Leopold, came to see us soon after. He proposed marriage to me, he was," she laughed as she spat the sentence out, "impressed at my care and concern for his daughter."

She sighed and visibly attempted to relax herself again, "my mother accepted for me, I was to be wed. I was eighteen and he was sixty eight. I had never seen him before in my life and I most certainly did not love him. I ran to tell Daniel but your mother saw me kissing him in the stables and she ran off, I ran after her," a small tear fell down Regina's face as she explained with such anguish in her expression, "I made her promise not to tell my mother. But the foolish girl was still reeling from the loss of her own mother and was convinced that every daughter needs their mothers love."

She took another sip of wine, "your mother told my mother of Daniel. She killed him in front of me. Ripped his heart from his chest and crushed it to dust."

Emma flinched at the harsh words, she knew there was more to the story than that but she could see that Regina wanted to get to the point and get on so she had the strength to carry on.

"The next day I was being fitted for my wedding dress," Regina smiled and shook her head, "being married to Leopold was.. appalling. The story," she looked up at Emma and narrowed her eyes as she tried to explain, "the story you know of Snow White and the Queen, the fairest in the land?"

Emma nodded her understanding but frowned her confusion.

"Leopold loved Snow more than anything," Regina said, "I wasn't jealous of Snow because she was prettier than I or because Leopold loved her more. He loved everyone and everything more than me, I came right at the end of his list of loves. Below his dead wife. All he wanted was someone to raise his daughter and warm his bed."

Emma couldn't help but look disgusted at the thought of that and dipped her head in understanding.

"I was to provide an heir, preferably male, clearly I didn't," Regina sighed, "I was pregnant once but after a.. difficult.. night with the King.. I lost the child. The court physician declared I would never be able to carry a child again."

Emma shakily put the wine glass on the table and held her hand up to Regina in an indication that she needed a moment as she quickly left the room and walked to the furthest room in the house which happened to be the laundry room. She leaned heavily on the counter in there and took a few deep and steadying breaths before suddenly lashing out and punching her fist into the hard wall. She stood up straight and closed her eyes and counted to ten while she nursed her damaged fist before quickly returning to the living room and taking her place in the armchair again.

"I'm sorry.." Emma began.

Regina nodded, "I understand. My life in the palace was miserable, I was very lonely. Not allowed to leave and I had no friends. I raised Snow as best I could but I was practically a child myself. I.. managed to.. remove my mother from my life. She ended up in Wonderland."

"As in Alice?" Emma looked confused.

"Yes, she was the Queen of Hearts," Regina almost laughed at the expression on Emma's face.

"Off with their heads?" Emma asked.

"Oh yes, and out with their hearts," Regina added, "anyway, my transition was fast beginning. Rumpelstiltskin was teaching me magic and my thoughts were becoming darker. Eventually I had a plan and a stooge to kill Leopold, a venomous snake took his life, Sidney Glass took the blame."

"Sidney killed King Leopold?" Emma was baffled.

"He was a genie that Leopold had released from a lamp," Regina explained and this time did laugh at Emma's shaking head as the story became stranger by the moment, "he was a free man and he stayed at the palace. He.. he fell in love with me. He was the only person I'd seen in years who took any interest in me, not just sexually, just someone who saw me at all."

"Anyway," Regina reached forward and poured herself more wine, "Leopold was dead and I became fixated on killing Snow. I'd suffered for years in that palace with that.. man," she spat out the word, "if Snow had kept my secret I would have run away with Daniel and I would have been happy with my true love. But no, I had to see Snow and her true love live happily ever after instead."

"Rumpelstiltskin fed my need for vengeance, he made me powerful and he made me determined to get what I thought was rightfully mine. The problem was I couldn't get Daniel back, I even enlisted Doctor Frankenstein to help me," she shook her head at the memory and the pain of that day.

"Frankenstein?"

"Whale," Regina told her, "of course I didn't know who Frankenstein was, we didn't get the movie in the Enchanted Forest," she joked, "I believed he would bring Daniel back to me but he didn't. It couldn't be done. But the hope of his return and the denial of it was enough to increase my need for revenge."

"Rumpelstiltskin was the one who convinced me to enact the curse, he has the ability to see the future and he planned the curse in a very specific way. He needed someone who was willing to sacrifice the heart of the thing they loved the most. By then he was the Dark One and he didn't love anything. He needed my thirst for revenge. He needed me to create Storybrooke but that is another story," she shook her head at the thought of it.

"You had to sacrifice the heart of the thing you loved the most for the curse to work?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Regina nodded and Emma could see the tears in her eyes reflecting the light of the fire.

"Your father," Emma guessed.

"How did you..?" Regina stuttered.

"You've gone out of your way to not mention your father," Emma explained, "but I've seen him in the book and Mary Margaret has mentioned him. And his coffin is in your vault and your son is named after him.. aside from Daniel he must have been the thing you loved the most.."

Regina nodded, "I killed him for all this," she waved her hand around the room, "he probably knew I was going to do it and he let me anyway."

She took a deep breath, "aside from that, my crimes are fairly well documented in your book, unless you want chapter on verse on them too?"

Emma shook her head, "no.. I know what happened next," she said quietly and watched as Regina sipped on more wine, "so, what I'm hearing is, that you have been manipulated into doing other people's dirty work your whole life.."

"No," Regina shook her head as she firmly issued the denial, "no, I cannot pretend that I am not responsible for my own actions. I did those things, people died during our war and I did terrible things, destroyed lives."

"Your mother controlled you with magic, Gold taught you magic so you could cast a curse for his benefit," Emma implored, "yes, you did bad things but you cannot be blamed for everything. You were controlled by the people around you."

Regina shook her head and took a deep breath and swirled the wine around the glass.

"What about the rest of it?" Emma asked.

"The rest of what?" Regina frowned.

"That was how you became the Evil Queen, I also want to know how you managed to get back to being Regina," Emma gave a soft smile.


	61. Chapter 61

Regina nodded, "well," she paused as she thought about it, "after you broke my curse," she mock glared at her and Emma sniggered as she took a sip of wine.

"After you broke my curse I had a lot of free time," Regina sighed, "Henry was gone and I wanted to take him back so badly. I wanted to march up Main Street throwing fireballs until I got my son back."

"But you didn't.." Emma said softly.

"Because I knew that if I did he would never want to come with me," Regina dipped her head, "he saw me as the Evil Queen and who would want to be with that. So I decided I needed to take a different approach, I made a promise with myself that I would not use magic to harm people and that I would try to be the person that Henry wanted me to be."

Regina laughed, "but he never came back. I tried to contact him but," she looked at Emma, "well, you know all that, it was so painful and I knew.. I thought.. I wasn't going to get him back. So I went to Gold.."

"Yeah," Emma interrupted, "I don't get that, why did you go to Gold?"

Regina nodded her understanding at Emma's confusion, "magic is a powerful force and there are many things you can do but there are also many things you cannot do. Bring people back from the dead is one example. Effect your own body and mind is another. Like the sleeping spell I cast on you, I cannot cast that on myself because magic has rules and it won't allow me. Likewise I could never create the potion that would allow me to forget my own son, magic wouldn't allow me to do that. It's cheating."

"Magic doesn't like cheating?" Emma laughed.

"It's the way it is," Regina shrugged, "imagine if Gold could heal all his own injuries, bring himself or another back from the dead, remove unwanted memories.. he'd be more dangerous than we know him to be now."

Emma nodded her understanding but had a further question, "why did he help you?"

"Gold has a son. Had a son. He lost him through a portal a long time ago and he has been doing everything he can to get back to him. He knows the pain of your child not loving you, not wanting to be with you. He also knows that he brought us here for his own benefit, that he twisted and manipulated my entire life to bring us here. He owed me," Regina bit out, "and we'd been fighting so long and I was just.. so.. damn tired."

"I called a truce," Regina said simply, "well, I threatened to kill us both and then I called a truce. We spoke, buried a few hatchets and agreed to work together, to help each other."

Emma wasn't sure she liked the sound of that but she nodded anyway.

"I suppose Regina reappeared once I gave up the idea of revenge," Regina said softly, "when I tried to be the person that Henry wanted me to be. I'd been so angry for so long I'd never stopped to think about what I was angry about. Henry calmed me. Henry not being there terrified me."

Emma's eyes flicked up to the honest and raw emotion in Regina's voice.

"Losing Henry during those weeks and months was literally like losing a part of me. I sort of stopped, I couldn't see the point any more. I actually didn't care if the town mob came to the door with pitchforks, I realised I deserved it and I waited for them to come. But they didn't. Some pathetic saps even came to see if I was okay," she laughed, "they came to check on the Evil Queen."

Emma smiled but her heart clenched as she realised there were people in the town who had tried to reach out to Regina and she hadn't been one of them.

"The town was falling apart and some brightspark had decided a former cricket should be Mayor, Archie asked for help so I did. I told myself I didn't want to see Storybrooke go to hell but I really felt I owed it to people to ensure the town was working for them. The distraction from my own life didn't hurt either," she sipped at more wine, "I let go of the rage I suppose."

"And then you got Grace," Emma added.

Regina smiled a happy beam, "yes, I suppose when you're consumed with hate and you finally let it go.. you leave a big gap to fill."

"So there you have it," Regina downed the last of her wine, "from young naïve girl to Queen to Evil Queen to.. whatever the hell I am now.. in five easy steps."

Emma smiled, "thank you for telling me, I know it wasn't easy."

"Telling it is easier than living with it," Regina admitted with a shrug.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Emma said and jumped to her feet, "I'll be right back," she said as she rushed out of the room. Regina frowned and watched her go and then heard the front door open. After a few minutes she heard the front door close again and saw Emma rush back with a pronounced limp and something under her arm.

"Firstly you should be using your crutch, secondly did you go outside with no shoes on?" Regina admonished her.

"Yeah yeah," Emma said and handed Regina the item that she had clearly gotten from the car, "here, for you."

Regina took the item that was wrapped in a thick plastic bag and frowned, "what is this?"

"It's customary to open a present to find out what it is," Emma rolled her eyes at Regina being such a pain as she sat on the sofa beside the brunette.

"Why did you get me a present?" Regina asked as she looked at the gift with confusion.

"Because it was your name day yesterday," Emma explained, "and I kinda got you something but then I didn't know if you'd appreciate it so I kinda left it in the car but now I want to give it to you so here we are."

"You knew it was my name day yesterday?" Regina gave her a half smile.

"Just open the damn present," Emma rolled her eyes with a grin.

Regina unfolded the plastic bag and opened it up and took a hardback book out and placed it on her lap. She ran her hand over the letters on the front of the book and smiled, "a memory book.."

"Yes, for Grace, I figured you could keep a log of everything, I know we're starting late but it doesn't matter," Emma explained and leaned over and opened the book, "I'll filled a few things in, in my best handwriting, of course."

Regina laughed as Emma flipped through the pages of the book and showed where she had filled details in and made suggestions about things to put on certain pages.

"In the future," Emma said with promise, "this will be the book that you will be judged by," she tapped it meaningfully.

Regina closed the book and looked at Emma with teary eyes, "thank you, Emma, this really means a lot to me," she leaned forward and they shared a comforting hug for a few moments before Regina slowly pulled away. She picked up a tissue from the sleeve of her cardigan and wiped at her eyes delicately.

"I must look a mess," Regina commented with a laugh, "I should go to bed."

"It's okay, it's a dim light," Emma quipped and Regina hit her on the arm playfully.

Emma pretended it hurt and then looked at Regina sincerely, "thank you for telling me, really."

Regina nodded, "thank you for listening.. and for not running out the door when I told you," she smiled.

"I'm done with running," Emma said as she let out a yawn before adding, "this crazy woman appears in my car."

"Sounds terrible," Regina smiled as she stood up and waved her hand to extinguish the fire.

"Yeah," Emma stood too, "she's pretty scary too."

As the both walked to the stairs Regina started to turn the lights off, "then you should probably so what she says."

"Oh, there's no doubt about it, she's got me right under the thumb," Emma joked as they climbed the stairs.

"Well, you are troublesome, she's probably wise to keep you on a short leash," Regina replied.

As they got to the top of the stairs Regina looked around at the children's bedrooms, "it seems so odd to not have them here, so quiet," she said.

"If you want I could set an alarm for one in the morning and start screaming?" Emma laughed.

"As delightful as that sounds, I'll pass," Regina said as she held the handle of her bedroom door, "oh, do you.. want help sleeping tonight?"

Emma considered it for a moment, she wanted to say yes but she didn't want to trouble Regina so she shook her head, "no, I'll just," she pointed down towards her own bedroom door, "and I'll see you in the morning.."

"Goodnight," Regina smiled, "sleep well.."


	62. Chapter 62

Upon delivering Henry to school and returning Grace safely the next morning, Mary Margaret and David were invited into the house for coffee and brunch. They sat at the dining room table in the kitchen and watched as Emma and Regina busied themselves around the kitchen. It would be more accurate to say that Mary Margaret watched while David watched his wife, hesitant that she would at any moment blow a fuse.

Every time the women shared a smile or brushed past each other during the preparations for the meal Mary Margaret either leaned forward in her chair or looked at David with an incredulous sigh at the fact they still appeared to be absolutely clueless as to their feelings towards each other.

Mary Margaret looked at David and shook her head in disgust and he stared at her in the universal married couple's signal of begging for silence. The doorbell rang and Regina went to answer it and Mary Margaret hopped up and stood by the kitchen island, "so, what did you guys do last night?"

Emma shrugged, "nothing much, had a chat and then we were both tired so we had an early night," she turned to the fridge to get the milk and Mary Margaret turned and looked at David with an excited look at the potential meaning of the words.

"Well, I read for about two hours because I got swept up in my book," Emma added.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes at David and picked up a cup from a saucer as if to throw it across the room but quickly calmed herself, "Regina's looking nice today, don't you think, Emma?"

Emma frowned, "er, yeah, I guess.. doesn't she always?"

"Yes!" Mary Margaret agreed, hanging onto the compliment, "yes she does!"

"It's too cold for just this tank top, I'm just going to run and get a sweater," Emma said, "back in a minute."

The second she left the room Mary Margaret flopped across the kitchen island in exasperation, "how can they not see it?!"

"It takes some people a little more time," David smiled as he stood up and positioned her into an embrace, "they'll figure it out, remember you said no meddling."

"But at this rate they'll be old and grey," Mary Margaret whined, "I want a grand baby, who will be able to play with my child.. oh, wow, that's weird," she shook her head.

Regina entered the room again and frowned, "where's Emma?"

"She went to get changed," David supplied as Mary Margaret was still wrapping her head around everyone's ages.

"Thank you for looking after her," Mary Margaret said softly.

"I'm doing no such thing, she is the one helping me," Regina said primly as she noticed a cup on the counter and placed it back on its saucer.

"We know that's not true, Regina," David said while looking to check that Emma wasn't returning.

"She refused to tell me what was going on," Mary Margaret said with a hint of sadness, "I'm just glad she's got someone to talk to."

Regina opened her mouth to speak but at that moment Emma returned, "right, sorry, I'm back.. what can I do to help?"

"Sit down," Regina said firmly, "you're not helping your leg with all your acrobatics."

"Oh come on," Emma said as she helped take a tray to the dining room table anyway, "you weren't complaining this morning when we did the downward facing dog together."

David's face flashed bright red in a deep blush and Mary Margaret beamed with happiness.

"I did downward facing dog," Regina said as she removed some cinnamon buns from the microwave, "I don't know what yoga position you were doing but it wasn't one I recognise."

David let out a breath of relief and Mary Margaret tightly gripped a butter knife in her hand as she shook her head in frustration.

"Are you okay, dear?" Regina asked as she frowned at Mary Margaret.

"Hormones," Mary Margaret announced loudly with no further explanation as she picked up a proffered bun and placed it on the plate in front of her.

"I.. see," Regina raised her eyebrows at David who just shook his head apologetically.

"So, Grace was okay, didn't keep you up too much?" Emma asked once they were all sat down.

"She was wonderful, she woke up twice but she soon went off again," Mary Margaret beamed.

"I did appreciate the break," Regina admitted quietly as if she didn't want anyone to hear the admission.

"We'll gladly take her again if you like, if you want some alone time, together, or alone.." Mary Margaret offered and then jumped as David gently kicked her.

"Thank you," Emma said slowly as she stared at Mary Margaret questioningly.

"Did you hear that Belle and Gold are getting married?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yeah," Emma smiled, "Regina told me.. weird, eh?"

"Love comes in all shapes and sizes," Mary Margaret said with a look to each of the women.

"Yes, but.. Belle," Emma said and then laughed, "and Gold. Not exactly an obvious match."

David quickly placed his hand on his wife's and nodded to Emma, "on first glance maybe not but they seem happy together."

"Absolutely," Emma said, "I wish them all the best, Belle will need it!"

David managed to steer the conversation onto town business and they spoke at length about the unstable building site and the plans to remove it as well as plans to shore up other parts of the town where the underground stream ran. An hour later David and Mary Margaret left and the second Regina closed the door behind them she looked at Emma, "your mother is acting stranger than usual," she declared.

"Yeah, what is that about?" Emma asked, "can't just be hormones.."

"She was looking at me strangely," Regina said with a small shudder.

"Me too," Emma said, "I'll speak to David and see if I can figure out what is going on."

At that moment Grace began crying from within her room and Regina raised her eyebrow as she made her way to the stairs, "ah, back to normal," she smiled.


	63. Chapter 63

That afternoon Emma was out in the patrol car doing her usual rounds of the town when Sean summoned her over the radio.

"Go ahead Sean," Emma said.

"Hey, we've got a missing minor," Sean's voice replied over the line.

"Who?" Emma frowned, she panicked for a second.

"Joshua Battle," Sean said, "his dad just called it in."

"Shit," Emma mumbled, "what did he say?"

"Said he never came home last night, he has called his friends and no one has seen or heard from him. Didn't show up to school yesterday, last time he was seen was by the father yesterday morning," Sean said, "do you want me to go out there and take a statement?"

"No," Emma said, "I'll go, what's the address?"

Sean read out the address to her and Emma repeated it back to him in confirmation before hanging up the phone and doing a turn in the road to head in the other direction and heading out of town. When she arrived at the address she noted the rundown appearance of the small house on the edge of town and looked around at the quiet area.

She reached into the glove box and pulled out her service weapon and checked it and put it in her holster under her jacket and stepped out of the car. With a determined stride, despite the crutch, she walked up the small pathway and knocked on the door whilst looking around the garden and outside of the house and analysing every detail.

The door swung open to reveal a tall, dark haired and muscular man in his mid-thirties, "Mr Battle?"

"Sheriff," he nodded and folded his arms, "you found my boy?"

"I'm sorry, no," Emma said, "I wanted to ask you some questions.."

"I told the Deputy everything I know, you should be out there looking for him," he said anxiously. Emma took in his appearance, he was dressed for work at the cannery, possibly having done a nightshift and come home to see Joshua was missing. He seemed genuinely concerned and like a man at a loss.

"We are looking," Emma assured him, "it's just that sometimes we can uncover something relevant to the case through some questions. Like was Joshua having any problems? At home or at school? Do you know a reason why he would run away?"

John Baker shifted uncomfortably, "we.. we don't get on too well, you know? I try to do my best for him but he.. he's a teenager. And, yeah, we argue."

"Do you think an argument could have caused him to run away?" Emma asked carefully.

He shrugged, "I don't know what goes on in his head, he misses his mother.."

"Where is his mother?" Emma asked with a fear she already knew the answer.

"She died, when he was a young'un," he replied, "once the curse was lifted he rebelled, I think he feels trapped by all of this.." he gestured around.

"What about you?" Emma frowned.

"I've got a roof over my head, a job, working for the good of the community, serving the best way I can," he answered and Emma could identify the military man beneath the exterior.

"Do you have any idea where he could have gone?"

"I don't know," he said with a sigh as he looked across the landscape, "he's run away before but never for long, normally comes back with his tail between his legs after a few hours in the cold."

"And you've no idea where he has gone before?"

"None," he shrugged, "I want to be out there looking but your Deputy said I need to stay put in case he comes home."

"Yes," Emma agreed, "that really is the best thing you can do to help, we'll get out there and look for him and we'll let you know as soon as we find anything."

He nodded his head and stepped back into the house and Emma turned around and made her way back down the pathway. She threw her crutch into the car and then threw herself into the driver's seat with a sigh and thought for a few moments before picking up the radio, "hey, Sean, you copy?"

"Hey, Emma," he answered quickly.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Nothing yet, checked the hospital and all the usual hangouts for the kids. You speak with the dad?"

"Yes," Emma nodded and looked towards the house, "he's got nothing. Kid's run away before, he's not happy at home and he's not happy in Storybrooke. Keep looking, I'll call David in and we'll get together a search area."


	64. Chapter 64

It was twelve hours later and three o'clock in the morning when Emma hobbled back into the Sheriff's office and saw Sean and David both sitting and looking equally exhausted.

"Anything?" David asked her.

She shook her head, "nothing," she walked over to the map of the town on the wall which was covered by a piece of writable, see-through Perspex and picked up a marker pen and started crossing off the areas she had been checking.

"Regina rang for you," David told her, "I told her you were still out looking."

Emma nodded distantly, "I'll call her in a minute," she stared at the map and shook her head, "we're out of places to look."

"I think you need to talk to the dad again," Sean said as he rubbed his tired face, "his history.."

"People change," Emma mumbled, "I know what he was in your world but the man I spoke to earlier was worried for his son, I don't think he has anything to do with it."

David looked at Emma's drawn face as she worried her lip while staring at the map, "Sean, why don't you get home to Ashley and the baby?"

Sean stood up and looked at Emma but she was a million miles away so he simply nodded to David and then picked up his coat and left the office. After a few moments of silence David spoke again, "we've done all we can for tonight, Emma.."

"He's out there, cold and alone," Emma said determinedly, "I'm not going to leave him."

"After what he did to you.." David started.

"People. Change," Emma bit out and looked at him with resolve, "he did something because he thought he had no choice. I don't honestly think he wanted me hurt, he just panicked. We've all panicked and done the wrong thing. I just don't want to think of him as being alone out there."

David silently stood up and walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder and forcibly pulled her into a hug. The moment she was wrapped up in his arms she started to cry and shake uncontrollably and he held her tight and stroked her hair soothingly.

"You've done everything you can," he whispered, "and now you need to rest."

"But he needs me.." Emma snivelled.

"He needs you to be well rested and ready for tomorrow and the morning light," David soothed, "we have done everything we can do for the evening. I'm taking you home."

Any strength Emma might have had left in her wasn't enough to argue with him so she simply said, "take me to Regina's.."

"That's what I meant," David said as he let her go and picked up her oversized Sheriff's jacket and placed it over her shoulders. He turned off the lights as they walked out of the building, Emma struggling on her crutch.

"Maybe Regina can find him, with magic?" Emma wondered in a daze.

"I spoke to her earlier," David said sadly, "she said it can only work with someone she has a connection to."

"Oh," Emma said as they stepped into the bitterly cold night air and David locked the building up.

Emma thought and then frowned, "but I thought Henry was the connection?"

David looked sideways at her and shrugged, "you'll have to ask her, that's what she told me."

They walked towards the car and David opened the door for her and helped her get inside, he took the crutch and placed it on the back seat before walking around and getting into the driver's seat. He stole a glance at Emma who was still dazed and exhausted not to mention emotionally drained.

They drove in silence to Mifflin Street but David could see how Emma strained to look down every road, every alleyway on the short journey just in case she saw Joshua. By the time they pulled up at Regina's house it looked like Emma had lost all hope and her head lowered and she stared at her knees. The lights were still on downstairs and when David noticed Emma didn't move he got out and walked around the car and got her crutch and then helped her out of the car.

They began to move slowly up the path, Emma in a state of confusion and possibly some shock as her mind conjured up unhelpful images of Joshua alone and needing her help. Halfway up the path they were suddenly bathed in light as Regina threw the front door open and stood in her pyjamas and dressing gown looking at them with a serious expression.

David looked up at her while he held onto Emma's arm and guided her up the path, Emma didn't seem to register her presence nor the sudden light. Regina regarded Emma curiously and then looked at David, "did you find him?"

David shook his head, "no, I think Emma needs to get some rest.."

Regina nodded and stepped out onto the porch in her bare feet and assisted Emma on the other side of David to get her into the house.

Once they were inside Regina looked at her and then at David, "how long has she been like this?"

"I'm fine," Emma whispered but her distant eyes didn't move from their gaze on the floor.

"Gradually getting worse for the last fifteen minutes," David told her.

Regina nodded, "go home and get some rest, David," she instructed him, "I'll take it from here."

David hesitated a moment but then he saw the way Regina looked at Emma and he leaned forward and kissed Emma's forehead before stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind him again.


	65. Chapter 65

Regina took a moment to look at the woman in front of her and take everything in. Her knee high boots were caked with mud, presumably where she had been walking through the woods looking for the boy. Her skin tight jeans and what little she could see of her sweater were also grimy and the large and unflattering town hall issued Sheriff's jacket was draped over slumped shoulders. Her expression was distant and there were still residual tears streaking her cheeks. She stood awkwardly, using the crutch more than she usually did.

Regina sighed and locked the front door before walked to stand in front of Emma, she dipped her head so she could make eye contact with the blonde, "Emma?"

She could see a flash of recognition but not much so she took Emma's chin in her hand and gently but firmly lifted her head until Emma's eyes flicked up to meet hers. She smiled, relieved that Emma was reacting, "it's time to rest."

"He's still out there," Emma asserted.

"Yes," Regina agreed, "but you can only help him if you look after yourself."

Emma's eyes flicked back down to the ground and Regina removed the coat from her shoulders and placed it in the closet before standing in front of Emma and placing her hands on the blonde's shoulders.

"I'm going to use magic to transport us to your room, is that okay?" Regina asked delicately.

Emma nodded slowly and a moment later they were standing in the dark of Emma's bedroom.

Regina switched on the nightlight and then looked at Emma thoughtfully, "I'd like to use magic to get you changed for bed, will you let me do that?"

Emma was clearly lost in her own thoughts and continued to stare at the floor.

Regina stood in front of her again and cupped the blonde's face in both her hands, "Emma?"

With a small start Emma looked up at Regina and her eyes began to focus, "yes?"

"I'd like to help you get changed for bed, using magic.." Regina repeated.

"Oh.." Emma moved her head to look down at herself and Regina let go of her face. Emma frowned at the mess she was in, "okay," she said hesitantly.

Regina waved her hand a suddenly Emma was in the softest plaid long-sleeved pyjamas that ever existed. Emma briefly wondered where they came from as she certainly didn't own any actual sleepwear, just clothes that were no longer suitable for use outside the house.

Emma stumbled towards the bed and Regina quickly removed the crutch and took Emma's arm to help her into bed. The brunette balanced the crutch against the bedside cabinet so Emma could easily access it in the morning before reaching down and pulling up the blankets on Emma's unmade bed.

"Will you.. help me.. to sleep?" Emma looked up at Regina with imploring eyes.

Regina nodded and waved her hand over Emma's face.

Emma looked at Regina and frowned, "it didn't work.."

"You don't want to sleep," Regina said kindly as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at Emma.

"I do," Emma maintained.

"But you also want to be out there looking," Regina said, "I can't help you sleep unless you want to sleep.."

"It's my fault," Emma whispered.

"You mustn't think that way," Regina told her gently.

"It is.." Emma reasoned, "I went on a rampage about the graffiti. If I'd just let it go this wouldn't have happened. He was scared of getting in trouble with his father.."

"He committed a crime," Regina said, "even if it was a minor infraction, you were doing your job."

"He's a kid," Emma muttered so softly Regina had trouble hearing her.

"You can't blame yourself for his unfortunate situation," Regina continued, "you have done everything you can, you have wrecked yourself in pursuit of him," she brushed the hair away from Emma's face, "you simply have to look after yourself, Emma."

"I went to see the father," Emma said quietly, "Sean thinks he had something to do with Joshua's disappearance."

"What do you think?" Regina asked as she soothingly ran her fingers through Emma's hair.

"He seemed worried about him, they fight for sure but I don't think he's responsible for this disappearance," Emma breathed.

"But?" Regina asked knowingly.

"What if I'm wrong?" Emma croaked out.

Regina removed her hand from Emma's hair and looked firmly at the blonde, "now you listen carefully, Emma Swan," she told her, "you are not solely responsible for every person in this town. You may be the Saviour but that has limits, your objective in life is not to sort out every single problem in Storybrooke, do you understand me?"

"But.." Emma started.

"But nothing," Regina told her with a shake of her head, "spread the load, Emma.."

Emma nodded grimly and Regina attempted to wave her hand over the blonde again but nothing happened.

Regina looked down at her with a small smile, "you're horrible stubborn, you know that?"

Emma gave her a tiny grin, "it has been said.."

Something occurred to Regina and she stood up and opened the bedroom door and walked into the hallway leaving a confused blonde behind. A few moments later Regina returned with a sleeping Grace in her arms, "move over," she instructed quietly and Emma shuffled to the middle of the bed with a frown.

"Nothing has more soothing powers than a sleeping baby, she's had a midnight feed and her teething hasn't been so bad today so she should sleep through until the sun comes up," Regina said quietly as she placed Grace in the bed beside Emma.

Emma gently wrapped her arms around the sleeping girl and placed a kiss on her forehead before looking up at Regina and mouthing, "thank you.."

Regina leaned down and kissed Grace on the forehead before repeating the process with Emma, "sleep," she whispered in a soft command before leaving the room.


	66. Chapter 66

Early the next morning Regina was making coffee, she figured that both she and Emma would need coffee to get through the day after the small amount of sleep they both had the night before. Half an hour after leaving Grace with Emma she had checked on the pair and was pleased to see that they were both peacefully sleeping. After that she managed to get some broken sleep before finally giving up and deciding to start her day.

A quiet knock on the front door had her frowning from the kitchen as she wiped her hands on a tea towel and crossed the hallway quickly to check there had in fact been a noise. When she opened the door she found David standing on the porch and looking wary, "sorry, I saw the light was on but I didn't want to wake the baby," he said, "or Emma.."

She nodded her gratitude at the thought and gestured for him to come in, "I'm making coffee," she announced and walked towards the kitchen in a manner that suggested he should follow her so he did.

Once they were in the kitchen David looked around and Regina informed him, "everyone else is sleeping."

"Oh," he said, "I wanted to tell Emma that Joshua is back home."

Regina raised an eyebrow as she prepared mugs for the coffee that was still brewing, "he went home?"

"Yes," David nodded with a scowl, "John Battle called it in an hour ago, I'm on night duty so I got the call."

"You don't seem pleased," Regina pointed out as she got milk from the fridge.

"I went round there," he said and started pacing the kitchen in a way that Regina had seen Emma do in the past, "the boy is being mistreated, he was terrified. I.." he dragged a hand through his short hair, "I want to get him away from his father, somewhere safe."

Regina folded her arms and leaned on the counter, "you know who John Battle is, I assume?"

"Dark Sword," David nodded solemnly.

Regina nodded, "he is a violent and volatile man," she pointed out.

"I spoke to the convent," David continued, "Astrid has said that they will take him in.. but I don't think John will agree to it."

Regina sighed and turned to pick up the freshly brewed coffee pot, "he will if I speak with him." She poured coffee into the two mugs as she continued, "he was one of my most loyal guards, I think he will listen to me."

David nodded his quick agreement in a manner that suggested to Regina that he had already assumed as much and was actually coming to ask for her help.

"I will go and speak to him at a more reasonable hour," she said as she pushed the mug across the kitchen island and towards him, "ensure that Astrid is able to take him in a couple of hours."

"Thank you," David said and looked around the kitchen as he asked, "how is Emma?"

Regina took a sip of the scalding hot coffee before she nodded, "she is sleeping.."

David wrapped his hands around the mug of coffee and looked like he wanted to say something but was struggling.

"Out with it, Shepherd," Regina said but it held no bite.

David's mouth curled into a small smile, "I know we have had.. issues in the past," he paused for the snort of laughter he knew was coming before continuing, "but thank you for looking after Emma. Snow and I have tried but she makes it difficult for us to get through to her. She claims she is fine but we can see she isn't. Since she has been staying with you she has been so much improved."

Regina regarded David over the top of her coffee mug as she considered if she wanted to have a meaningful conversation with him. Eventually she inclined her head, "Emma is having problems feeling like she belongs," she admitted.

"I thought it was something to do with that," David confessed, "we realised it was bad timing when she moved out. We thought she needed her own space but by the time we worked out that she needed company it was too late. After that this.. wall," he gestured to his chest, "went up around her heart and we couldn't get through to her. And then the baby.."

Regina knew all too well the feeling of emotionally losing that connection to a child and despite herself she began to feel sorry for the man, "she.." she sighed, "she loves you both very much."

David smiled his appreciation at her frankness, "we love her.. but we also know we've not done the best we can do for her. We've tried but it's hard.. to know what to do.."

Regina recognised the half-question in his tone, "she needs to feel like she matters, like she is needed. I believe she is suffering with abandonment issues," she disclosed, "it's a difficult thing to deal with but the support of her family will help her through it."

"We're," David started before looking down at his mug to avoid eye contact with the woman who he had spent so many years fighting, "we are both very grateful to you for taking care of her."

"I'm hardly taking care of her," Regina sniffed as she turned and started to fuss with the coffee machine.

David smiled to himself, "of course, a poor choice of words, I mean I'm glad she has you as a friend."

"Yes, well," Regina said with her back to him, "she needs time and patience, I have enough of a supply of both."

"Whatever happened before," David stated, "in the world.. for me, it's over. I want to live a new life, a peaceful life, with my family."

Regina spun around and regarded him with confusion but before she could speak David finished his coffee and looked meaningfully at her, "like it or not, Regina, you are a part of my family."

The retort was slow in coming to Regina's mind and by the time she had a suitable quip he was already leaving the house.


	67. Chapter 67

Regina stood in the hallway outside Emma's bedroom with a mug of fresh coffee in her hand as she gently knocked on the door. There was no answer forthcoming so she knocked slightly louder and waited for a few moments.

"Mom?" Henry asked sleepily as he stepped out of his own room.

She turned and smiled, "sorry, Henry, did I wake you?"

"No, I needed the bathroom, is everything okay?" Henry frowned at his mother apparently bringing Emma coffee in bed.

"Just some Sheriff's business that I need to discuss with Emma," she said honestly. She didn't want Henry to see her indecision so she took a deep breath and opened the door and entered the room.

The sun was just coming up and Regina could see Emma gently cuddling Grace to her chest while the two slept. Grace had her arms and legs at all angles as she let out an almost snoring sound that indicated to Regina that her daughter was out of deep sleep and would be waking up soon.

She walked around the bed to the other side and placed the coffee mug on the bedside cabinet and sat on the edge of the bed and gently called Emma's name. When the blonde didn't move at all flicked her eyes to Grace to check she was still asleep and then placed her hand on Emma's upper arm and gently squeezed as she called the blonde's name again.

Emma's eyes flickered open and she turned to look at Regina with a curious expression, Regina smiled back at her so Emma didn't panic that something was wrong. Emma turned to look at Grace and smiled at the little girl who was curled up by her side.

Emma looked at Regina again and seemed a little more awake so Regina spoke quietly, "Joshua is back home."

Relief flashed through Emma's eyes and her head flopped onto the pillow. She stared at the ceiling as the good news settled in and then looked at Regina again, "but?"

Regina's face told Emma that there was definitely more going on so she gently disentangled herself from Grace and shuffled to sit up in bed and Regina took a deep breath, "David has been to see him, he is.. concerned."

Emma looked impatiently at Regina, "go on.."

Regina stood up from the bed and walked over to the window and looked through the small gaps in the blinds, "David wants me to go and speak with John Battle, to convince him to give up the boy."

"And go where?" Emma hissed, mindful to not wake Grace.

"The convent," Regina said, "David has spoken with Astrid and they are willing to give him a safe home."

Emma got out of bed and ran her hand through her hair to tame in as she thought about what she was being told, "I should do it," she announced, "it's my job."

Before Regina was able to speak Emma looked at her accusingly, "you and David don't think I can handle it.."

Regina scoffed a laugh, "that's absurd, David asked me because he knows that John Battle will probably not respond well to this interference. He was a loyal member of my personal guard, I can use my influence and, if needed, my magic."

Emma seemed unconvinced and Regina stepped closer to her and looked her in the eye, "this is absolutely nothing to do with your ability, we both agree that this is the best for the boy."

Emma bit the inside of her cheek and eventually nodded, "okay, but I'm coming with you."

"That isn't necessary," Regina told her.

"I'm. Coming. With. You," Emma told her firmly.

Regina nodded, "very well," she looked over at Grace, "we'll need to call your mother to come and look after Grace and Henry."

Before Emma could say anything Regina had summoned her phone and was already dialling the woman, she put the phone to her ear and waited a few moments, "Snow, we need you to come and watch the children so Emma and I can deal with this John Battle business."

She rolled her eyes and tilted her head from side to side while she listened to whatever brainless muttering was coming from Snow and then nodded, "yes, that's fine, we'll see you shortly."

Regina hung up the phone, "she'll be here in thirty minutes."

Emma looked down at the floor in awkwardness, "I'm.. I'm sorry about last night.."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked in confusion.

"I know I was a mess last night," Emma shook her head with annoyance at herself, "I'm just really sorry you had to deal with it."

Regina positioned herself in front of the blonde and looked at her with a determined yet soft expression, "you do not have to apologise to me," Emma looked up at her and their eyes met as Regina continued, "if you want to talk about anything, you know I'm here for you.."

Emma nodded and they maintained soft eye contact, they were so close they could feel the other's breath on their face. Unexpectedly the space between their faces seemed to diminish as they simultaneously leaned closer but before anything could happen Grace's cry punctured the silence.

Regina spun to face her daughter and she quickly crossed the room and picked the girl up and held her to her chest before looking towards Emma but refusing to make eye contact.

"I.. I better feed Grace and then get changed," she said as she started to edge towards the bedroom door, "I'll meet you downstairs shortly," she said as she quickly exited the room.


	68. Chapter 68

Despite the utter exhaustion Emma quickly got dressed, placing the softest pyjamas in the world under her pillow and hoping that they wouldn't disappear. She had no idea how magic pyjamas worked, were they hers now or would they disappear after a certain amount of time. And why Emma was hanging about and making her bed and cleaning her room was an absolute mystery to her.

When she heard Regina crossing the hallway to go from Grace's room into her own Emma quickly picked up the mug of coffee that Regina had brought her and grabbed her boots and went downstairs to make herself some breakfast. When she got there Henry was sitting on a stool and eating some sugary breakfast cereal that Emma knew would have Regina rolling her eyes.

"Morning, Henry," Emma said and ruffled his hair as she passed him and started to pour her own bowl of cereal to go with her morning coffee.

Henry regarded her with a curious look, "what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked innocently.

"Mom was up late last night and you weren't home at midnight when I went to the bathroom and now something is going on," Henry said as he sadly stirred his cereal which had turned into a gloopy mess in the bowl.

"It's just work stuff," Emma shrugged.

"Fine," Henry said despondently and slid off of his stool to make his way out of the room.

"Whoa there," Emma said and limped around to stand in front of him, "I'm sorry, come and sit down and have some juice and I'll explain."

Henry nodded and picked up two glasses from the counter while Emma got a bottle of juice from the fridge and then they sat at the dining table. She poured two drinks as if they were shots and then clinked his glass as she down a couple of mouthfuls.

"That kid, Joshua, went missing," Emma started, "he is back home again now but he isn't in a good place, his dad isn't very nice to him.."

"Does he hit him?" Henry asked hesitantly.

Emma took a deep breath and nodded, "we think so, yeah. I was out until late because I was looking for him but I didn't find him."

"Why was Mom up late?" Henry asked, "waiting for you?"

"Yeah," Emma said with a moment of realisation herself, "anyway," she shook her head, "Joshua went home this morning and David went to see him and now we think it's best to convince his dad to let him live somewhere else."

"Okay," Henry said in childlike understanding.

"Henry," Regina's voice called from upstairs.

Henry looked at Emma to check they were done and when she nodded he ran out of the room and up the stairs.

Emma returned to her cereal and added milk and stood while leaning on the kitchen counter as she stretched her injured leg and ate. A few moments later Henry came back into the kitchen with Grace in his arms, "Mom wants me to watch Grace while she gets dressed."

"She's already dressed," Emma frowned.

"She has clothes all over her bed," Henry shrugged, "she says Mary Margaret is coming?"

"Yes," Emma nodded in between mouthfuls of cereal, "she's going to watch Grace while your Mom and I go and speak to Mr Battle about Joshua."

"I can watch Grace," Henry offered.

"Nice try," Emma laughed, "you're not skipping school."

"It's not skipping school if I'm needed to look after my baby sister," Henry pointed out.

"But you're not, Mary Margaret is coming over," Emma told him and at that exactly moment the doorbell rang, "and here she is now."

"I'll go," Henry said begrudgingly and left the kitchen to open the front door.

Emma quickly finished her cereal and then her, now lukewarm, coffee and started placing the crockery in the dishwasher.

"She is so adorable!" Mary Margaret said as she entered the kitchen with Grace in her arms, having dismissed Henry to get ready for school.

"Aww, thanks, Mom," Emma quipped before turning around and pretending to look surprised that she meant Grace.

"You're adorable too," Mary Margaret smiled at the blonde, "how are you?"

The smile fell from Emma's face and she sighed, "what did David say?"

Mary Margaret bounced Grace and gently played with her tiny hands, "nothing I didn't already know," she replied as she looked up and locked eyes with Emma, "I know you're going to through some things and I know some of those things are my fault but.."

Emma tried to interrupt but Mary Margaret spoke over her, "but, I want you to know that I love you very much, we both do, and you are very important to us. I know that's not going to fix things overnight but I need you to know that."

With a slight tremor in her lip Emma nodded and Mary Margaret continued, "I know.. sometimes.. you feel alone and.." she struggled to use the words, "unloved. And that's okay, they are your feelings and it's not judgement on you but we are always here for you and we love you."

It was the right thing to say at the right time and Emma nodded as she couldn't speak because she knew then she'd cry. Luckily Henry chose that moment to burst into the kitchen with his school bag in his hand as he ran to the fridge and grabbed the lunch Regina had made for him earlier, "bye guys," he said and then left before either of them had a chance to reply.

Mary Margaret laughed, "I wonder how long it will be until he is a teenager and that kind of speed is a thing of the past."

"All too soon, I fear," Regina answered as she entered the kitchen.

Mary Margaret raised a knowing eyebrow but Emma just stared at the woman in front of her. Regina wore a long black dress that billowed out and touched the ground. The dress had a very tight bodice with a plunging neckline that pushed Regina's breasts up impressively. She wore a burgundy velvet jacket with a high, stiff neck and her makeup was harsher than usual. Her hair was swept up away from her face which added to the severe look.

"Your Majesty," Mary Margaret quipped with a small smile.

"Snow," Regina smirked back.

"It's been a while since I've seen you like that," Mary Margaret observed.

"Yes, well, this world isn't exactly made for these fashions," Regina pointed out.

"You think John Battle is more likely to listen to you if you remind him who you are?" Mary Margaret nodded her agreement before Regina even spoke.

"I hope so," Regina said as she fiddled with her cuffs, "if I want him to do as I say I can't present a watered down version of myself, he has to see me for his Queen."

Regina approached Mary Margaret and looked at Grace, "hopefully this won't take too long," she bent forward to kiss Grace on the forehead but the girl shied away into the protection of Mary Margaret's chest.

"She doesn't recognise you," Mary Margaret said softly, "Grace it's okay, it's only Mommy in a costume.."

"It's fine," Regina stood stiffly, "probably best not to pressure her."

Mary Margaret nodded, "I'll.. I'll take her up to her room and leave you two to it," she said as she hurried from the room with the girl still cowering in her arms.

Regina watched them leave with a haunted expression on her face and Emma came and stood beside her.

"So much for unconditional love," Regina joked bitterly.

"She's six months old," Emma pointed out, "she can't see properly, I had my hair in a towel to other day and she looked at me like I was an alien."

"Yes.. well.." Regina's lip curled into a smile.

"Hey," Emma admonished her, "be nice.."

Regina looked at her seriously, "if I'm to do this I cannot be nice," she took a deep breath and all remnants of Regina vanished from her face, "I will transport us there and I apologise now for my behaviour when we get there."

Before Emma had a chance say anything Regina was raising her arm to conjure the purple mist that indicated her magic.


	69. Chapter 69

Once the disorientation and the purple mist clears Emma identifies that they are standing on the path leading up to the Battle residence. She also notices that she is wearing her leather jacket, her boots and is holding her crutch that she had left in her bedroom. She smiles at the thought that the Evil Queen took the time to think about such things and looks to Regina but the woman is already stalking up the path and Emma rushes to catch up to her.

Regina waves her hand and the front door of the house tears open and slams against the opposite wall as the brunette struts into the house obnoxiously and after a brief pause turning to enter the small kitchen. Emma hurried after her and as she arrived in the kitchen she noticed that John Battle was kneeling before her, "Your Majesty," he spoke.

An unpleasant smirk appeared on Regina's face at his devotion, "stand," she ordered.

He got to his feet and stood to attention with his arms firmly behind his back while his eyes raked over Regina's appearance and Emma had a sudden desire to pull Regina's jacket around her and do up the front buttons.

"The local law enforcement," Regina spits the word out with disdain as she indicates Emma with a tilt of her head, "have informed me of your actions towards your son."

"Your Majesty.." he began.

"Do not speak to me until I invite you to," Regina said sharply.

He bowed his head in respect and Emma felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and for the first time she was grateful she had never come face to face with the Evil Queen.

"Your actions have brought me into disrepute," Regina complained, "I am very displeased."

"The boy.."

"Enough!" Regina shouted and Emma felt herself jump and was grateful that she was stood behind Regina so the brunette didn't notice.

"The new powers that be in the town have decided that the boy would be better off living elsewhere, I'm sure you can agree to that as he is obviously bothersome to you," Regina said in an almost bored tone.

John Battle stared at his feet in compliance of Regina's original orders so she marched towards him and roughly grabbed his jaw in her hand and jerked his head up, "answer me," she growled.

"I need the boy to help around the house," John offered quietly, his eyes refused to make contact with Regina's.

Regina pushed him back roughly and he tell into the dining room table with enough force that Emma was convinced that Regina must have enhanced her strength with magic in order to be able to do so with such a strong man.

"Do not embarrass me in front of the Sheriff, you still work for me," she said darkly, "the boy will leave this house, your abuse of your powers as his guardian is causing me problems. Do you understand?"

John quickly scrambled back to his feet, "yes, Your Majesty."

"Good," Regina sneered, "Sheriff, fetch the boy."

Emma was about to complain at the dismissive tone but decided against it and left the kitchen and walked into the hallway. When she got there she heard John speaking, "Your Majesty, if you wish to launch a rebellion against the Charmings I will stand by your side."

Emma paused and listened as the man continued, "your personal guard are all willing to fight for you."

She held her breath and waited for Regina's response, "enough blood has been spilt, on both sides."

"But, My Queen.." he began.

Regina cut him off, "continuing the war would be pointless, we have all lost too much. In this town you are free to live your own life."

"We swore an oath to you," John replied, "we will stand by you, we wish to serve you."

Joshua appeared at the top of the stairs and Emma looked up at him and gave him a gentle smile and gestured for him to come down the stairs towards her. His eyes flicked up to the door in fear and Emma whispered, "it's okay, we're getting out of here."

Joshua frowned and slowly made his way down the stairs, all the way his eyes were fixed on the door. Emma looked at him closely and could see the outline of a bruise starting to form below his left eye.

Regina glided into the hallway and looked at Emma and then at Joshua, "let's go."

Emma nodded and pointed for Joshua to leave the house first but as soon as they were all on the porch John appeared, "Your Majesty, give me another chance, please.."

Regina spun and stared at him, "have you ever known me to give a second chance?"

He cowered in front of her, "but.."

"The boy will be taken to the convent where his needs will be cared for, you will avoid contact with him and you will not go to the convent, do I make myself clear?"

All the time Regina spoke her voice rose in anger and Joshua took a couple of steps back to tuck himself behind Emma. John nodded his understanding, "yes, My Queen."

"Good," Regina sneered, "I'm sure the pathetic Charmings would allow you to see your son if you agreed to some kind of therapy with the cricket. If you desire, that is," she shook her head and raised her hand and the purple mist surrounded the three of them and they vanished leaving John Battle alone.


	70. Chapter 70

When the mist cleared Emma realised that Joshua was pressed up against her back in fear and she immediately turned around to calm him, "it's okay, she's helping."

She looked up and noticed they were outside the convent and she briefly wondered why Regina would only transport them to the driveway and not into the building before considering that maybe the fairies had a way of preventing such a thing.

Regardless Astrid was standing in the gardens and quickly ran over to them, "Emma!"

Emma smiled, "hey, Astrid."

Astrid looked at Regina with hesitation before looking at Joshua, "you must be Joshua?"

Joshua nodded and looked from Astrid to Emma to Regina and then back to Emma as he timidly asked, "what's going on?"

Emma opened her mouth to speak when Blue suddenly appeared on the steps with her wand raised at Regina like a weapon.

"Whoa, stand down," Emma said as she pointed to Blue, "put that down.."

Blue frowned at Emma briefly before turning her attention back to Regina, "Emma, we can't trust her."

"I trust her," Emma said firmly, "put it down."

With uncertainty Blue lowered her wand but continued to stare at Regina who was doing her best to ignore the entire situation by studying her nails. Emma turned back to Joshua and took a quick breath, "look, Joshua, we know that things with your dad are kinda rough so we think it's better if you stay here where you'll be looked after properly."

Astrid smiled warmly at Joshua, "we have set up a room for you and we think you'll like it very much."

For a brief moment Emma wished that something like this had happened to her in her own childhood but she quickly pushed those thoughts aside to see what Joshua was thinking about the plan.

"I.. I can, like, live here?" Joshua asked, looking from Astrid to Emma with a questioning expression.

"Yes," Emma smiled, "your dad agreed to it," she was sure she heard a quiet snort from Regina but she ignored it, "we all think it is the best thing for you.. what do you think?"

Joshua nodded as he answered, "I don't want to go home.."

Astrid smiled and clapped happily and Emma nodded, "then do you think you want to stay here? It will be a safe place for you to be and we'll look in on you and check everything is going okay but ultimately it's your choice."

Joshua regarded Emma curiously, "why are you helping me? I mean, after what I did to you.."

"Because we all make bad decisions and sometimes we need to be given the opportunity to learn from them rather than be constantly punished for them," Emma said, "I know you didn't mean me harm."

He nodded seriously, "I just didn't want my dad to find out I was in trouble.. I'm sorry, Sheriff.."

Emma handed him her business card and once he took it she put her hand on his shoulder and looked at him seriously, "my job is your safety, okay? If anything happens then call me or drop into the station."

He nodded and she reassuringly squeezed his shoulder and straightened up to look at Astrid.

"Come, I'll show you your new room," Astrid said and guided Joshua into the building.

Once they were out of sight Emma turned to regard Blue and Regina who were still in some form of odd standoff.

"You should be careful trusting her, Emma," Blue said, "your mother has trusted her in the past and look what happened.."

"Yeah, Mom's at Regina's house babysitting," Emma said casually.

The wand in Blue's hand twitched as if she were ready to strike and Emma positioned herself in between the two women, "I trust Regina with my life, I know you have history but in this town I am the law and as far as I can see she isn't doing anything wrong so you will drop this right now, do I make myself clear?"

Blue hesitated for a moment before loosening the grip on her wand and nodding her head in agreement, "of course, Sheriff," she said with a pinch of a biting tone, "about the boy, we will arrange for Doctor Hopper to come and speak to him and your father is going to come and see how he is settling in later today. If you need anything else please contact Astrid."

Emma nodded tersely and Blue walked away but not before she threw one last scowl in Regina's direction. Emma rolled her eyes and turned to Regina who was looking at her with a confused expression.

"You don't have to defend me," Regina told her.

"I know I don't have to," Emma shrugged, "I want to. I meant what I said to Joshua, we all make bad decisions and sometimes we need to be given the opportunity to learn from them rather than be constantly punished for them. You learnt from your bad decisions and now you deserve the benefit of the doubt," Emma found her eyes gravitating to Regina's plunging neckline, "aren't you cold?"

Regina looked down and grinned as she shrugged, "you get used to it."

"Do you wanna," Emma waved her arm in the air, "us home?"

"Such a way with words," Regina sighed but with a smile as she raised her arm and the purple mist started to rise again.


	71. Chapter 71

A moment later they stood facing each other in the hallway at 108 Mifflin Street and Emma smiled, "thank you."

"Well I was hardly going to walk home in this," Regina sniffed as she indicated her clothes.

"I meant thank you for everything," Emma said softly, "you didn't have to do any of that, I know it must have been hard for you to.. bring the Evil Queen out of her box."

Mary Margaret head the soft voices and was approaching to hallway when she realised she would be intruding. With Grace asleep in her arms she hid behind the wall of the living room and watched them interact with interest.

"It wasn't.. pleasant.." Regina agreed, "although I think some of the unpleasant stems from the how easy it is to be her."

Emma understood, "if it's any consolation I was terrified of you," she looked Regina up and down, "still am a bit."

Regina laughed, "it's all costuming, Dear."

"And the voice, the tone, the words, the magic, the look, God, the look," Emma shuddered, "I almost felt sorry for John Battle."

"We're lucky he was loyal to me, it helped to convince him," Regina pointed out.

"Also helped that his eyes were bugging out of his head with, you know," Emma pointed at Regina's chest, "that, outfit.."

Mary Margaret had been holding her breath for so long she was practically turning blue and had to remind herself to breath. She looked down at Grave to check she was asleep and then looked back up at the two women.

"Well," Regina smiled, "first rule of being Queen.. flaunt it.."

Emma nodded, "I prefer Regina."

Mary Margaret gave a tiny fist pump in her daughter's honour at such a perfect line.

Regina's eyes flicked up to meet Emma's and she licked her lips nervously, "I'm sure many despise both in equal measure," she guessed sadly.

"I don't care what they think," Emma whispered decisively.

Regina took a small step forward and brought them closer together and Mary Margaret was glad she was holding Grace in her arms or she might have clapped her hands in glee.

"What do you think?" Regina asked with a trace of apprehension in her tone.

Emma's tongue darted out to wet her dry lips and she opened her mouth to speak but at the same they were leaning closer to each other. At the same time Mary Margaret was leaning forward to and three women were bitterly disappointed when Emma's phone suddenly rang.

Emma jumped back a step and Regina covered her mouth as she gave a discreet cough and looked away but it was Mary Margaret storming angrily towards them that shocked them both even more than the ill timing of the phone call.

"For God's sake," Mary Margaret grumbled as she shook her head and thrust Grace into Regina's arms and snatched Emma's phone out of her daughter's hand and looked at her husband's stupid smiling face on the screen.

She pushed the button to answer the call and held it to her ear and hissed, "not now, David!"

She hung up the phone and put her hands on her hips and looked at the two women who were staring at her in shock.

"Er, hi," Emma said nervously.

Regina wisely decided to stay out of it and simply adjusted her grip on Grace as she looked at the mother and daughter.

"Hi," Mary Margaret smiled in a sugary sweet way, "your father, wrong number," she smiled at Emma as she put the phone back in her daughter's still-open hand.

Emma looked at Regina and Regina took a step back in a clear indication that she intended to leave Emma with her crazy mother.

"Do you want me to take Grace while you guys get changed, or talk, or.. whatever?" Mary Margaret asked Regina.

Regina took another step back, "no, thank you, Snow, no.. I'm going to.. head upstairs and.. get changed," she said while looking from Mary Margaret's crazy eyes to Emma's pleading eyes.

"I'll leave you two to catch up," Regina said as she turned and climbed the stairs without a look back to them.

Mary Margaret looked at her watch, "I have to be going, it's time for.. well, it's time I had to be going!"

Emma grabbed her arm before she managed to leave, "oh, no way, you are coming with me into the kitchen and you are going to tell me what is going on with you."

Before Mary Margaret could argue Emma was dragging her into the kitchen and pointing at the dining room table for her to take a seat, "tea or coffee?"

"Tea," Mary Margaret said before quickly adding, "but I'm fine, just.. you know.. pregnant!"

"I've been pregnant and I was nothing like you are now," Emma said as she started to make the tea.

"Different hormones, maybe it's because I'm from the Enchanted Forest?" Mary Margaret said in the hope that Emma would accept that and she would be able to leave without meddling.

"Oh was everyone from the Enchanted Forest batshit crazy?" Emma asked with a smile.

Mary Margaret blushed and fidgeted with her hands, "did everything go okay with Joshua?"

Emma recognised the obvious distraction attempt but allowed it, "yes, he's at the convent now. Although I thought Blue was going to blast Regina away with her wand.. she's quiet vicious for a nun."

"She's a fairy," Mary Margaret pointed out.

"That too," Emma said as she made two cups of tea.

"I suppose the fairies are kind of.. removed.. from the rest of us," Mary Margaret observed, "they haven't seen Regina's change like we all have."

"True," Emma said as she removed the teabags, "did.. er.. did Regina always wear that kind of stuff in the Enchanted Forest?"

"Oh yes," Mary Margaret laughed, "and then some."

Emma brought the two cups over and placed one in front of Mary Margaret and then sat down opposite.

"Tight leather pants," Mary Margaret said, "tight bodice, it was quite common for a women of power to display her assets."

Mary Margaret noticed Emma's cheeks slightly blush and smiled as Emma quickly turned the conversation back to the Joshua situation.


	72. Chapter 72

After Mary Margaret left, Emma started to clear the kitchen and placed one of Grace's bottle in the sterilisation unit and made up a new bottle as it was coming up to feeding time. She felt a presence behind her and turned around to see normally-dressed Regina enter the room with Grace in her arms, "is it safe?"

"Yes, she's gone," Emma smiled.

"She's clearly lost it," Regina said with feigned disinterest, "maybe I shouldn't have spent so much time trying to kill her and just waited for her to naturally go insane."

Emma laughed as she shook the bottle to mix the liquid up and handed it to Regina, "thank you," Regina said as she took the bottle, "did you talk?"

"Yes but she didn't say a lot," Emma said as Regina adjusted Grace and started to feed her, "she spoke about Joshua mainly. Tried to blame her craziness on hormones again."

"There aren't that many hormones in the town to produce that level of bizarre behaviour," Regina raised her eyebrow and walked into the living room so she could sit on the sofa while feeding Grace.

Emma followed her into the living room, "well something is going on but she's adamant to not tell me so I suppose I'll have to endure the crazy for a while until her hormones die down."

Regina sat down and adjusted the bottle for Grace, "did you suffer with hormones when you were pregnant with Henry?"

"Yeah," Emma admitted as she sat in the armchair, "I was a bit confused and forgetful, really bad pregnancy brain for a while. But then it was a bit of a stressful time," she added with a grin.

"I'm sorry," Regina said, "I shouldn't have brought it up.."

"No, it's fine," Emma shrugged, "shit happens, sometimes your boyfriend leaves you pregnant and in jail," she sniggered, "or is that just me?"

"I think that might just be you," Regina laughed and placed the empty bottle on the coffee table and sat Grace up and softly rubbed her back.

"Never had the best of luck with relationships," Emma smiled, "although that was a particular low point."

"Mmm," Regina hummed in agreement, "I can't say I've done much better, although I suppose I ended up in a prison of sorts."

"You can't compare a palace to a prison," Emma laughed.

"True, but it's all a matter of perspective," Regina said with mock seriousness, "while the food was most certainly better at the prison, I had to deal with your mother incessantly speaking to those damn birds of hers."

Regina stood up with Grace and placed the girl in her travel chair and raised the arm so some toys hung down for her to play with. As she stood back up she gingerly moved her head from side to side and winced before sitting back on the sofa, "come to think of it my mother never allowed me to eat much of the food anyway, maybe I would have preferred prison."

Emma stood up and walked behind the sofa and Regina strained around to see what she was doing, "sit back," Emma instructed.

"Why?" Regina questioned.

"Because your neck is hurting and I'm going to massage it for you," Emma said plainly, "now sit back."

"You don't have to do that," Regina told her while still looking at the blonde.

"I know," Emma sighed, "but I want to, stop being difficult."

Regina turned to face forward and sat back in the chair, "but I excel at being difficult," she quipped.

Emma placed her hands on top of the thin red sweater that Regina had opted for and started to massage the brunette's shoulders by her neck, "how's that?"

"Heavenly," Regina moaned.

"Your muscles are so tight, why didn't you say something?" Emma frowned.

"It's not in my nature to complain," Regina admitted.

"No," Emma said as she worked through the tense muscles while being careful not to apply too much pressure, "but maybe that's why you build up so much anger that you end up throwing fireballs. Literally."

"I'm not used to people caring about my complaints," Regina said before letting out a groan and leaning her head forward in pleasure at the new blood being able to flow through her muscles.

"I care," Emma said softly, "you should come to physical therapy with me this afternoon, see a professional."

"Oh yes, because there's a line to assist the Evil Queen," Regina's laugh was cut short by Emma squeezing a muscle knot.

"Well if you won't get professional help then you'll have to tell me when it gets this bad because I can't believe you're still able to turn your neck from side to side," Emma muttered.

Regina moaned softly and lolled her head forward again in pleasure.

"Regina, promise me," Emma said.

"Mm-hmm," Regina said dismissively.

Emma paused her movements and Regina let out a disappointed sigh.

"Regina," Emma took the brunette's head and tilted it up so she could look straight down into Regina's eyes, "promise me that when it's this bad you'll tell me."

Regina looked up at Emma looking down at her intently with such warmth and kindness in her eyes and she simply nodded, "I promise."

Grace bashed at a rattle toy that was hanging above her and giggled loudly and both women looked up in shock. Emma belatedly realised that she was still holding Regina's shoulders and let go of the older woman as Regina stood up and approached Grace.

"Noisy," Regina admonished her with a smile.

Grace looked up at her with a cheeky face and kicked at the rattle again and Emma came over to stand beside Regina, "Henry's noisy too.. and I had nothing to do with this one.. so that must be down to you," she smiled.

Regina looked at her and raised her eyebrow, "you have nothing to do with this one? I beg to disagree, you spend nearly as much time with her as I do."

Emma nodded her agreement and then looked up at Regina to reply but the words got caught in her throat as they stared at each other. It was impossible to tell who moved first but suddenly Regina's hand was tentatively in contact with Emma's cheek and Emma's hand found Regina's hip and pulled her gently closer as they leaned closer and closed their eyes allowing their lips brushed together.

Regina's eyes flew open at the same time that Emma's did and they studied each other's facial expression for any sign of rejection before simultaneously smiling and both leaning in to kiss again, this time a little longer and with a little more promise but still cautious and timid.

Small closed mouth kisses followed as they more firmly held each other with Regina's hand threading its way into Emma's hair and Emma's hand rising to fit snugly on Regina's side and hold her reassuringly.

They stopped kissing and rested their foreheads against each other with their eyes tightly closed so as not to break the moment.

A small beep from Emma's watch sounded in the room and Emma jumped back and she looked at her watch to confirm that she was right, "I.. I have to go, I have my physical therapy appointment," she looked at Regina with regret.

Regina nodded, "I.. I'll be here when you get back," she tried a brave smile but only managed half of one, "we'll talk then," she promised.

Emma nodded and looked from Regina to Grace and then around the room in confusion before nodding, "right, yes, okay.. I'll.. I'll see you soon.."

Grace gurgled and kicked the rattle again with a happy smile.


	73. Chapter 73

Emma laid on the firm bed and sighed as Mark, her physical therapist, straightened her leg and held it firmly in position.

"Ow," Emma complained.

"You're not doing your home exercises," Mark guessed.

"I'm doing some of them," Emma complained, "ow!"

"Emma, you could be out of here in ten weeks if you attended all your sessions and followed your home plan but as it is now you're putting too much pressure on your weak leg and pushing your recovery back rather than forward," Mark told her as he lowered her leg back into its resting position.

"It hurts," Emma grumbled.

Mark looked down at her with suspicion, "I've not known you very long but I don't think you're the kind of person who worries too much about something hurting. And.. I hate to do this to you but.." he sighed and leaned on the side of the bed, "if you don't show some improvement I'm gonna have to tell Miss Mills the next time she calls."

Emma opened her mouth in shock, "you told her I missed that session!"

"Damn right I did," Mark laughed, "she's the Evil Queen, she is much scarier than you are."

"I have a gun," Emma reminded him.

Mark raised an eyebrow and stared at her as he intonated, "Evil. Queen."

"I could arrest you," Emma pointed out.

"For helping you overcome a debilitating injury?" Mark laughed.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "you just watch your speed next time you're driving through town."

Mark laughed, "seriously though, take more of an interest in these sessions and your home exercises and we can get you mended and then you'll never need to see me again," he winked.

"Great," Emma quipped, "are we done now?"

"Why the hurry today? Got a hot date?" Mark joked as he took her leg and bent it again and started to massage it through her leggings.

"No!" Emma denied and started to blush.

Mark paused and a big grin covered his face, "you do, you have a date!"

"I do not have a date," Emma told him and winced as a shooting pain throbbed in her leg.

"Sorry," he grimaced, "I had to do that."

"It's okay," she blinked away a small tear, "I'm good.."

Suddenly the door to the room flew open and Mary Margaret stormed in, "Emma, I'm sorry, hello Mark, how are you?"

"Er, I'm.." Mark started.

"What the hell are you doing?" Emma demanded to her mother who was standing in the doorway wringing her hands with worry.

"I need to talk to you," Mary Margaret said.

Emma sat up on her elbows with Mark still holding her leg up in the air and gestured her state, "now? Really?"

"Yes!" Mary Margaret said and looked at Mark.

"Okay, I think we'll call it a day," Mark said as he lowered Emma's leg, "I'll.. give you guys some privacy."

Mark picked up his belongings and quickly left the room and closed the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Emma asked as she spun and sat on the edge of the bed with her feet dangling to the ground, "is everything okay?"

"No," Mary Margaret shook her head, "it's you."

"Me?!" Emma remarked.

"And Regina," Mary Margaret added.

"Now hold on," Emma started but Mary Margaret held up her hand to silence her.

"I promised David, and myself, that I wouldn't meddle but I can't stand it anymore, I feel like I'm going to explode. I think you're in danger of throwing away a chance of true happiness, of love, and I just can't let that happen," Mary Margaret said as she paced the room.

"Slow down," Emma begged, "and sit down, what is going on?"

Mary Margaret sat down and put her head in her hands and then looked up, "I think you and Regina are in love with each other but you don't know it," she said quickly and when Emma looked at her in confusion she added, "and I know that may sound crazy but I have seen the way she looks and you and the way you look at her and I know. Really, Emma, I know that you two are just perfect for each other. When I see you with Henry and Grace and I see how you and Regina interact I think you both have a chance at real happiness.."

"Whoa," Emma put her hand up to slow the torrent of information.

"Don't say no to love, Emma," Mary Margaret pleaded as she stood up and grabbed her daughter's hand.

"I.. I'm not, I'm kinda surprised you, of all people, are encouraging me to date Regina," Emma admitted.

"I only want for you both to be happy and.. what do you mean you're not saying no to love?" Mary Margaret tightened her hold on Emma's hand, "what's happened?"

Emma winced, "can you let go of my hand, please?"

Mary Margaret dropped the hand as if it were a hot coal but stared at Emma, "have you two seen the light? I know you nearly did earlier but.. oh, Emma, do you know?"

"This is really weird to talk about with you," Emma pointed out.

Mary Margaret grabbed her by the shoulders, "tell me!"

"Okay, okay," Emma said as she leaned back a little, "we kissed, this afternoon.. we.. we kinda kissed."

A look of utter joy flooded Mary Margaret's face and she pulled Emma into a tight embrace, "oh, at last! I thought this would go on for weeks and months! You've finally got your acts together!"

She pulled back and smiled at Emma, "who initiated it? It was you, wasn't it?"

"Wha.." Emma started.

"Or was it Regina? Probably Regina, she seemed a little ahead of you, not in a bad way, Sweetheart," Mary Margaret stroked Emma's hair.

"Let me get this right," Emma said as she jerked her head back to get away from Mary Margaret's insanely wide grin, "you.. you knew that Regina had feelings for me?"

Mary Margaret nodded, "and you for her."

Emma waved her hand to move on from that point, "so that's why you've been acting so crazy.. that's why you hung up on David.. oh my God you were watching us!"

"Not watching," Mary Margaret said, "I just heard voices.. and.. noticed you."

Emma suddenly realised what Mary Margaret had said earlier, "how does Regina look at me?"

"Like you're precious," Mary Margaret replied with a smile.

"So.." Emma said, "you.. promised not to meddle?"

Mary Margaret nodded, "yes," and then she realised, "well, I mean, I'm not meddling now. You've already kissed, which is great! I know it's early days but do you think you might have more children? I think a third is a great idea but David thinks that you two might feel that two is enough."

Emma slid off of the bed and backed away, "kids?! I.. I don't know, I don't even know if she really likes me or if it was just in the heat of the moment. Kids? We can't have kids, we're two women! Oh my God, I've never been with.. I'm not having this conversation with you," Emma said definitively.

"Oh it's easy," Mary Margaret waved her hand dismissively, "you just.."

"I'm not listening!" Emma said loudly to drown out Mary Margaret's next words and then they both stood in silence looking at each other until Emma asked, "have.. you?"

"Been with a woman?" Mary Margaret asked, wishing to clarify and not upset Emma even more.

Emma slowly nodded with wide eyes that seemed to scream fear.

"Yes, sure!" Mary Margaret smiled, "women can be great lovers.. not that your father isn't.."

"Stop talking!" Emma shouted again, "right.. okay.. I think, I think it's best," Emma paced the room, "I think it would be best if you and I didn't discuss this.. in any detail."

Mary Margaret nodded quietly.

"And.. I'm.. going to go home. To Regina's home. Where I live at the moment," Emma explained as she put her leather jacket on inside out, "and I'm going to talk to her.. to figure this out. And then," she tried to zip up her jacket but realised it was inside out and frowned.

Mary Margaret approached her and helped her to remove the jacket and turned it around the right way, "Emma, don't overthink this, don't over complicated it. I've been watching you both for a while and it's obvious you both care for each other very much, I think you belong together and I think you'd be good together," she held the jacket out for Emma to put her arms into.

"But there's no pressure, obligations, just.. just love.. see where it takes you. It can be an amazing journey but don't worry about where it leads," Mary Margaret said as she did up the jacket with a smile.

"Okay," Emma whimpered.

Mary Margaret looped her arm through Emma's and slowly walked her out of the therapy room.


	74. Chapter 74

Emma's leg was killing her by the time she drove back to Mifflin Street and she slowly got out of the Bug and pulled out her crutch. She hated the therapy for a number of reasons but the damage it did to her mobility straight after was right up there. She slammed the car door and accidentally dropped her keys to the floor and rolled her eyes before struggling to bend down and get them.

As she stood up again and locked the car door she heard the front door open and the sound of Henry's flatfeet pattering down the path.

"Hey, Kid," she greeted without turning around.

"What did you do?" Henry demanded.

Emma quickly masked the panic she felt as she hobbled to turn around, "what do you mean?"

"Mom is acting weird," Henry informed her, sending her heart rate soaring at the thought of what that might mean.

"Again, what do you mean?" Emma asked casually as she started to limp up the path in order to get to the house sooner so she could see for herself what was going on.

"When I got home from school she was cleaning the kitchen," Henry whispered as they got closer to the house.

Emma paused and looked at him in shock horror, "oh no, not cleaning the kitchen," she laughed and then carried on limping along.

"Laugh it up," Henry shook his head, "don't say I didn't warn you," he took off up the stairs as soon as they got into the house.

Emma frowned and shook her head as she threw her keys on the hallway table and shrugged off her jacket and then attempted to remove her boots. She struggled to bend to get the boots off so she gave up and cursed under her breath and took a deep breath to get up the stairs and into the kitchen where she could hear the exacting tones of Beethoven's 5th Symphony playing quite loudly.

She edged open the door and took a step in and looked around in surprise. Henry was right, Regina was acting weird.

Every cupboard and drawer was open and all the contents were strewn throughout the kitchen. Pots, pans, dishes, tins of food, tea towels, Tupperware and things Emma couldn't even identify were piled high on the dining room table and the kitchen island. Regina was wearing an apron and had rolled up the sleeves of her red sweater and was now also sporting matching red rubber gloves which Emma decided must have been created by magic.

Regina was stood on top of the kitchen worktop and wiping down the shelves in the top cupboards while the string and percussion sections of some orchestra belted out Beethoven's greatest. Emma didn't know a lot about magic but she did know that no one in their right mind would be emptying out their entire kitchen and scrubbing everything by hand if they had access to magic.

The brunette hadn't noticed her enter and was busily shaking her head as she looked at the cupboard and wiped away dirt that was as invisible as the piece of lint she constantly chased around her clothing when she was nervous.

"Spring clean?" Emma said loudly over the music.

Regina spun around and looked at the blonde with an unidentifiable stare before nodding, "the kitchen was getting filthy."

"I see," Emma said as she looked around, "so, how can I help?"

Regina put on her best Mayoral campaign winning smile, "don't be silly, dear, you're a guest. I'm quite able to do this little clean myself."

And with the Regina turned back to vigorously scrubbing the cupboard and Emma took a deep breath before shaking her head and leaving the room and walking to the bottom of the stairs and calling for Henry. A few moments later he appeared and looked over the bannister rail and she beckoned him to come down the stairs.

"Sorry, my leg isn't up to those stairs yet," she explained quietly as her eyes flickered to the closed kitchen door, "what is going on?"

Henry shrugged, "I assumed you did something.."

"Thanks, Kid," Emma gave him a fake smile, "where's Grace?"

"Katherine is babysitting," Henry said, "I think it's been arranged for a while."

"So, she was home alone and decided to take everything in the kitchen apart?" Emma said more to herself than Henry.

"Yeah," Henry said, "she's done it before but not that bad."

"When's she done it before?" Emma queried.

"After I got my book from Miss Blanchard," Henry frowned, "do you think she's sad?"

"I'm not sure," Emma said, "I'm going to go and talk to her," she cocked her head to the side, "is Beethoven on repeat?"

"Yeah," Henry sighed, "I've listened to the same thing for the last hour, but at least it's not O Fortuna, its scary when she plays that."

"Okay, Kid," Emma nodded, "go save yourself."

She watched as Henry ran back up the stairs before turning and going back into the kitchen where Regina was now back on terra firma with the freezer door open while she scrubbed the plastic seal around the door.

"So," Emma said as she walked over to the stereo pumping out classical music and turned it down a little, "are we going to talk about what happened?"

Regina didn't look up as she focused on scrubbing the interior of the freezer door, "I don't think that's wise."

"That's too bad," Emma sighed as she examined the CD case and changed the track to the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, "because I'm going to talk about it whether you want to or not."

Fast but light strings filled the air and Regina glared at Emma over the door, "I was listening to that."

"I think you've heard it," Emma shrugged, "what's all this about, Regina?"

"I'm cleaning," Regina said simply as if it were obvious.

Emma pointed around the room, "this.. this isn't cleaning.. this is obsessive behaviour."

"I have a baby in the house, germs are.." Regina began but Emma shook her head.

"Nope, this is because we kissed," Emma said and Regina immediately broke eye contact and continued cleaning the fridge, "but if you're busy cleaning then I'll just wait until you're done and then we'll talk about it."

Regina turned and walked to the sink and started to rinse the cloth she was using.

Emma sighed, "so, kissing," she leaned back against the wall, "either you want to do it again or you don't.. personally.."

She saw Regina pause slightly as she rinsed the cloth and smiled to herself as it indicated the brunette was listening and interested.

"Personally," Emma continued, "I was to do it again.. and again.. and so on. But if you don't want to then you need to speak to me about it or it will get awkward."

Regina dropped the cloth into the water and turned around, "you want to.." she hesitated, "to.."

"Kiss you," Emma completed, "yes," she smiled, "I want to see where this goes."

Regina smiled for a brief moment before shaking her head, "it's not wise, I'm.. not good at relationships."

"Yeah and I'm an expert," Emma laughed.

Regina swallowed and her eyes flicked down to her feet, "I don't want to.. damage what we have."

Emma nodded, "I understand and I agree but I don't want to not see where this goes either. I'm not suggesting we jump into bed or anything.."

Regina's cheeks flushed and she quickly turned around to face the sink again and Emma's eyes went wide with sudden comprehension and added, "I mean, I've never been with a woman so I wouldn't know what that involved anyway!"

Regina continued to face the sink but queried in an over casual manner, "you've never been with.. with a woman?"

"No, never even kissed a woman," Emma told her as she started to slowly approach the brunette, "you?"

"No," Regina whispered and then added, "to both.."

"As I said," Emma continued, "I'm not suggesting we.. rush ahead with anything, but I would like to see where it leads. I have feelings for you, feelings I don't quite understand but feelings I definitely want to explore."

Regina turned around and seemed surprised that Emma had approached and was now right behind her, "I don't want to hurt you," she admitted quietly.

Emma nodded, "the knowledge of that is comforting and I don't want to hurt you either. But we're both grownups, we can deal with this sensibly, and I'm not going to just forget about what happened."

"Neither am I," Regina admitted, "I.. am just fearful of.. holding onto people."

"We'll learn together," Emma shrugged casually.

Regina nodded and looked around the kitchen as if seeing the devastation for the first time and then waved her hand to turn the music off, "I'm sorry, I just got a little carried away, I'm not good with time alone to think sometimes."

Emma laughed as she looked around, "want some help putting everything back?"

Regina waved her hand and all the items in the kitchen levitated and started to move towards their rightful homes. Saucepans stacked themselves in size order before floating to the shelf beside the oven. Foodstuffs quickly returned to the cupboard, all labels facing the correct way. Emma watched with an open mouth as the kitchen cleaned itself before her very eyes.

"It's like Mary Poppins," she whispered in awe, no matter how much she saw magic it was still always, well, magical to her.

"Oh, please," Regina sniffed, "that's positively amateur hour."

Emma smiled and hobbled forward and Regina looked at her in concern, "what's wrong with your leg?"

"Sore from PT," Emma said and hobbled forward again with the intention of capturing another kiss from the brunette.

"Isn't this therapy supposed to be helping you?" Regina said as she held Emma away at arm's length as she stared at the blonde's non-responsive leg in worry.

"I've been missing out on some home exercises," Emma admitted and leaned forward and pressed her lips to Regina's before she had a chance to reply. Regina melted into the kiss and took a step forward and gently wrapped her arms around Emma while maintaining the tentative kiss.

Emma shifted her weight and then winced as another pain shot through her leg and her grip on the crutch tightened. Regina took a step back and Emma moaned at the loss of her lips.

"I'm not convinced this therapy is working," she frowned at Emma's leg in displeasure, "missing home exercises or not."

"Why don't you call my therapist and check on me?" Emma said with a pointed look at Regina.

"Maybe I will," Regina smirked, "the boy is clearly an idiot."

"Well he's scared of you," Emma laughed.

"As he should be," Regina said.

"How did you know him? Back there I mean," Emma asked, "what was he before he was a physical therapist? Can't imagine you had many of them in the Enchanted Forest."

"He was a poacher," Regina said, "I once caught him stealing pheasants from my land."

Emma blinked, "my physical therapist is an ex-poacher?"

"Your Mayor is an ex-cricket," Regina pointed out as the last of the kitchen items returned to it's home.

"Yes, but he isn't a medical professional touching my body," Emma said.

"A poacher has an excellent understanding of bodies, muscles and cartilage are important to game," Regina smiled.

"Game?!" Emma cried, "you're referring to me as game?"

"I was always partial to some roast swan," Regina licked her lips seductively.

Emma pulled the brunette into her arms and crushed their lips together with a smile.

"Mom!" Henry's voice called from upstairs and they pulled apart quickly, "what's for dinner?!"

Emma rolled her eyes, "this is going to be every time we want time together now, isn't it?"

"Well, if you will insist on dating a single mother," Regina shrugged with a wink as she walked to the hallway to call up to Henry.

"Oh, we're dating now, are we?" Emma smiled broadly.


	75. Chapter 75

Emma didn't get an answer to her question and just smiled at the door that closed behind Regina's retreating figure. She would push the question as to whether they were dating later, in the meantime she was trying to calm herself down and act like everything was normal. Which it wasn't. Because she was pretty sure she'd just been making out with Regina unless she'd had some kind of an episode and this was all a dream.

She glanced down at her throbbing leg and assumed that if she could feel the pain in her leg then she must in fact be awake. A smile grew across her face and she sighed happily as she leaned against the kitchen counter, she began to wonder why this wasn't freaking her out more. For some reason it seemed right and even though she logically knew that they could mess everything up she desperately wanted to take the risk and see where the relationship went.

Her mobile phone rang and she saw that it was Gold, "Mister Gold," she answered with a small roll of the eyes just as Regina walked back into the kitchen.

Regina had heard who was on the call and regarded Emma carefully as she opened the fridge and began taking out ingredients for dinner. Emma was nodding as she said, "okay, yes, I understand, I'm on my way now."

Emma adjusted her crutch and stood up, "there's been a break-in at Gold's shop and Belle was hurt," she told Regina as she started to leave, "I don't know when I'll be back."

With a nod Regina replied, "I'll make you something you can heat up when you get back."

Emma paused for a moment and smiled as she turned around and looked at Regina. Regina looked back at her a frowned, "what? Is something wrong?"

"No," Emma shook her head with a smile, "nothing is wrong at all. I'll give you a call when I'm on my way back."

As Emma made her way to the Bug she couldn't help but smile at how easy and domesticated everything with Regina had become in such a short space of time. Someone was making her dinner which could be heated when she got back from work, no attitude that she had to go and work, no fending for herself. Regina cared about her and was looking out for her without a second thought.

Starting the Bug and driving away from the house Emma started to realise that that was exactly why she wasn't panicking about the start of their relationship, because they already kind of had one. They were already constantly thinking about each other and supporting one and other, the romantic side to their relationship was all that was missing, they were already practically married. The idea of a relationship with Regina had slowly crept up on her but Emma was beginning to realise that it wasn't the idea that had crept up on her but the actual relationship.

They had gone from enemies to tolerating each other to caring for each other to being deeply supportive and rescuing each other to roommates so naturally that Emma could barely remember the time where she hated the brunette. The natural progression of their relationship was what had made it so much easier for her to accept. Of course her heart was practically beating out of her chest the first time they kissed but that was normal for a new relationship, especially when you couldn't be one hundred percent sure of the other person's feelings.

That's not to say that Emma didn't feel frightened or worried about this new phase in their relationship, she had her doubts and her concerns but somehow being with Regina just seemed so right and like there was no alternative than to go headfirst into whatever was coming next.

The fact that it was Regina seemed right and the fact that she knew Regina had experienced troubled relationships in the past and was also clearly hesitant about messing things up actually helped soothe Emma's fears. The few times Emma had attempted a serious relationship she was always on the back foot and clueless as to what a real serious relationship should look like. Always worried about messing things up and making things worse. But with Regina, who seemed to have no expectations of her and just wanted Emma to be herself, she didn't find herself worrying about anything. She was just Emma Swan, a dorky goofball with a chip on her shoulder and so much baggage she couldn't fit it all in her beloved Bug. And Regina didn't seem phased.

Regina was probably too busy worrying about her own shortcomings like being a fairy tale character and ex Evil Queen who had tried to kill Emma's mother on many occasions. Emma considered that for a moment and thought that maybe Regina's baggage was also quite substantial.

Emma wasn't sure how long her optimism or bravery for this new relationship would last but she hoped she could keep it together while Regina was in the nervous phase she seemed to be in. She considered that it was positive that both of them were convinced that they would be the one to mess things up rather than having doubts about each other.

What she did know, without a shadow of a doubt, was that she was going to do all she could to make it work because she could see a future where she was happy and where she could be a part of a real family and that was worth fighting for.


	76. Chapter 76

As she pulled up outside Gold's shop she could see the man himself pacing outside the doorway with barely concealed rage, rage she could fully understand because if something happened to Regina she could be exactly the same.

She quickly got out of the Bug and pulled out her crutch and approached the man with a frown as she wondered why he was stood outside.

Gold quickly understood why Emma was looking at him in the way she was and explained, "Belle doesn't like to see me.."

"In a murderous rage?" Emma guessed.

Gold nodded, his face pinched with anger as he attempted to keep calm.

"What happened?" Emma asked in a business-like tone, she knew she had to keep the man calm or there would be trouble all round.

"I don't know," he said with anguish in his tone, "I went out for less than half an hour and when I got back she was unconscious. Bleeding," he held his hand up to the back of his head, "someone.." he paused.

Emma nodded, "let's go inside," she said gently and was pleased when he nodded his agreement and they both entered the shop.

As Gold walked through the shop to get to the back room Emma looked around the interior and could see that a tall glass cabinet to the right of the shop had been broken into and there was glass everywhere.

"What's missing?" Emma asked as she pointed to the cabinet.

He turned around with a confused expression before looking at the cabinet as if it were the first time he had seen it and then shook his head distractedly, "I don't know.."

"You don't know?!" Emma raised an eyebrow.

He looked at her with irritation, "I haven't exactly had time to take inventory, Sheriff," he said bitterly.

Emma nodded, "I understand but the Gold I know would have been complaining about his missing possessions," she pointed out.

He shrugged, "I had more important things to worry about," he seemed almost embarrassed as he turned and led her through to the back of the shop.

Emma smiled to herself, even Rumpelstiltskin was not only in love but so in love he was rapidly forgetting his old life in favour of the new one he was constructing.

In the back room Belle was sat in a comfortable looking armchair with a mug of hot coffee in her hands and looking like nothing had happened.

"Hi Emma," Belle smiled happily at the blonde.

Gold knelt on one knee beside Belle and delicately placed his hand on her cheek, "are you sure you're well?"

"Hi," Emma smiled, "are you okay?"

"Did Rumple worry you?" Belle shook her head as she looked at him with a smile and admonished, "I told you I'm fine."

"You were unconscious, Belle," Gold pointed out.

"Why don't we start from the beginning," Emma suggested as she pulled up a wooden chair and sat down and looked at Belle, "in your own words, what happened?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you much," Belle shook her head, "I was in the shop, cleaning the cabinets, and I remember the bell rang and that's all I remember. The next think Rumple is waking me up and my head was hurting."

"She was bleeding," Gold pointed out angrily and Belle placed a soothing hand over his to calm him down.

"So you were hit over the head?" Emma frowned.

"I suppose I must have been," Belle said, "but Rumple healed me."

Emma nodded, "so there's no evidence of the injury?"

"You expected me to leave her bleeding and in pain?" Gold said in annoyance as he stood up.

"I'm just saying that there is no evidence that Belle was injured," Emma stated calmly, "of course I don't want her in pain."

Gold opened his mouth to speak again but stopped when Belle reached up and took his hand to calm him down, "Rumple, you agreed that we would let Emma handle this."

"I agreed that I would let the Sheriff help in finding whoever did this," Gold amended.

"Can we look in the shop and see if we can find the weapon and see if anything is missing?" Emma asked rather than take the man on in a direct argument about who enforces the law.

He nodded and turned to Belle, "stay here and rest."

"I'm perfectly fine," Belle said as she stood up and shook her head at him before addressing Emma, "he worries too much."

Emma grinned but wisely remained silent as Gold huffed and walked past them and into the shop. Belle rolled her eyes, "you'll have to excuse him, he's quite grumpy after all this.."

"I can't blame him," Emma admitted, "if something happened to.." she paused as she realised she nearly said Regina, "anyone I cared about.. I'd be the same."

Belle clearly noticed the slip up but didn't say anything and simply nodded. They both entered the shop where Gold was examining the broken cabinet with interest.

"Found anything?" Emma asked as she approached him while looking on the ground for anything that might have been used to attack Belle.

"There are a number of items that are missing," Gold said, "and not just from this cabinet. Whoever did this has an understanding of magic, probably a user of magic."

"Well that narrows it down," Emma said, "you or the fairies."

"Or Regina," Gold pointed out.

Emma felt her breath catch in her chest, "do you think.."

"No," Gold dismissed the thought immediately with a wave of the hand, "and it certainly wasn't me."

"The fairies?" Emma couldn't hide her disbelief.

"Doubtful," Gold agreed.

Emma crouched down and started sifting through some items that had fallen over and were mixed in with some large shards of glass.

"Then who?" Belle asked as she walked around the shop, noticing that various items were missing.

"Ow!" Emma exclaimed and quickly stood up and held her hand.

"Are you okay?" Belle asked with concern.

Emma looked at her hand, "I thought I'd cut myself on the glass but I haven't," she examined her hand carefully.

Gold regarded her with a smile before quipping, "should someone as clumsy as you be allowed to carry a firearm, Miss Swan?"

Emma ignored him and sighed, "so, what's missing? That will give us a clue about who they are and what they want, right?"

"Indeed it will," Gold replied, "however it will take a while to do a full inventory and I want Belle to rest now."

Emma turned to look at Belle who blushed and smiled at the protective man, "right," Emma said, "I will come by tomorrow and we'll catch up on what's missing, if that's okay with you?"

Belle nodded and Emma turned to Gold who also nodded while looking at the cabinet, "I'm still convinced this has something to do with magic."

"Doesn't everything in this town?" Emma asked with a sigh as she walked towards the exit while still regarding her hand.


	77. Chapter 77

Henry had desperately wanted Emma to play on his games console with him as she had promised she would do. Emma desperately wanted to spend time with Regina rather than locked away in Henry's room but she also didn't want to disappoint Henry. So when Regina suggested that Henry bring his games console down to the living room Emma was more than happy to scramble about with wires in the back of the television in order to set up the console.

Ever the attentive host, Regina had prepared popcorn and chips as well as a selection of sodas and juices and while Henry was upstairs looking for batteries for his second controller Emma smiled at the feast that was being laid out on the coffee table.

"Isn't that a bit overkill?" Emma enquired.

Regina looked at the three bowls of food and five bottles of beverages and a blush started to grace her features so Emma quickly added, "I mean, Henry and I will totally eat and drink all of that if you let us."

Regina smiled and looked down at Grace who was laying on her activity mat and chewing on a teething ring, "and then you and I will be the only ones who can see their own toes," Regina told Grace.

Henry burst into the room with his spare controller and the screen flickered to life so Emma and Henry sat on the sofa as the game loaded. Regina sat in the armchair and picked up a magazine from the coffee table and started to leaf through it.

"You can play too," Emma announced.

"Mom doesn't play games," Henry told her as if the very idea was ridiculous.

"Have you ever asked her if she wanted to?" Emma asked him as he set the game up, expertly whizzing through setup menus.

"It's fine, Emma," Regina said, "he is quite right, I don't play games, I'd rather watch."

Emma looked at her and waited for Regina to look back at her and nod that she was fine and didn't feel left out. Regina smiled at the blonde and Emma smiled back, satisfied that she really didn't want to play.

Within twenty minutes Emma and Henry were completely engrossed in the game and Regina had picked up Grace and moved from the armchair to sit beside Henry on the sofa as she told him battle strategies. It was a fighting game which Regina had expressed some concern over when it began but she soon became more agitated that her team were losing and so decided to give them the benefit of her advice.

"Henry, you really need to reload before you run out of bullets," Regina shook her head as she watched the screen intently, "and I've noticed that they appear in that corner there," she pointed.

"Respawn," Henry corrected.

"What?" Regina asked.

"Respawn," Emma repeated, "it's the gaming term for when someone dies and then comes back to life, they respawn."

"Oh, I see," Regina said, "well, they respawn over there, so why don't you stand on top of that building and take them out before they've had a chance to move?"

"That's kinda cheating, Mom," Henry laughed.

"No, it's winning by observing your enemies weaknesses," Regina told him.

The game paused and Henry said he needed the bathroom and ran off, Emma turned to look at Regina and smiled, "sure you don't want to play?"

"I don't know how," Regina said with a frown at the controller, "I'm better on a real battlefield," she winked.

"Come on, I'll show you," Emma said as she picked up Henry's controller and waggled it towards Regina.

"Won't Henry be upset that I've ruined his game?" Regina asked.

"Firstly, Henry's not like that and secondly, there's nothing to ruin it's a point and shoot," Emma said as she took Grace from Regina's lap and sat her up in between them where Henry had been sitting. Once she was sure that Grace wasn't going to fall over she handed Regina the controller and started point at buttons.

"This one moves you forward and back, this one is looking around, this one is jump, this one is shoot and the rest I don't know," Emma said, "ready?"

Regina looked panicked at the controller as the game sprung into life she suddenly looked up at the sky and then her side of the screen went red, "I died," she announced.

"Yep," Emma laughed, "try again."

Regina's character respawned and she was immediately shot at but managed to move aside, "he shot me," she said with disbelief, "that little bastard shot me.."

"Language," Emma laughed out loud at the brunette's outrage.

"I'm going to get him," Regina said as she leaned forward and started to chase the character. Henry came back in and sat in the armchair and picked up a handful of popcorn, "go Mom!"

"Sorry Henry," Regina said, "I'm just going to kill this one person and then you can have your controller back."

"No worries," Henry said as he watched his mother moving the controller in front of her body wildly.

An hour later and Regina still had the controller. Henry had been playing with and feeding Grace and Emma had been laughing at Regina's vengeance as she stalked anyone in the game who had done anything to offend her. Emma's favourite part was when Regina vowed to avenge Emma's death and spent ten straight minutes tracking down Emma's killer before taking him out with a shot to the face.

"I'm going to put Grace to bed," Emma announced as she stood up, neither Regina nor Henry seemed to notice as Henry was avidly watching Regina's latest tactic of blowing up several enemies by shooting oil cans.

"Boom," Regina laughed and Emma shook her head and picked Grace up.

"Henry, half an hour and then it's bedtime," Emma told him and he nodded as he picked up her controller and re-entered the game. As Emma went upstairs she could hear the mother and son discussing tactics and she shook her head.

"They are crazy, Grace," she told the girl who was staring up at the lights in the ceiling with interest, "although in the event of a zombie attack on the town this would be the place to be."

Grace look at Emma and Emma wondered, not for the first time, if the little girl had any idea what she was rambling on about. They entered Grace's room and Emma turned off the baby monitor, she'd learnt her lesson with that particular device.

"So, more Twist?" Emma asked Grace as she sat in the chair beside Grace's cot and laid the girl down in her arms, "take the edge off of all the mindless violence downstairs, eh?"

Emma picked up the book and found the page where she had finished before and started to softly read.


	78. Chapter 78

When Emma got downstairs forty minutes later she was surprised to see Henry and Regina were still playing on the games console.

"Henry!" Emma admonished him.

"Mom said it was okay," Henry told her as he paused his half of the game and looked over the back of the sofa at Emma.

"We're very close to total domination," Regina told Emma without looking up from the game.

Emma looked at Regina in stunned silence and then at Henry who seemed to be noiselessly pleading for his freedom. She shook her head and pointed to Henry's controller and gestured for him to hand it over which he dutifully did and Emma paused both screens of the games.

Regina looked down at her controller in surprise and started mashing keys to no avail before she turned to look at Henry and Emma who were staring at her.

"Henry, time for bed," Emma said as she turned to her son who happily jumped up from the sofa and then paused as he looked around the room, "I'll clean up, just go to bed," she smiled at him.

Henry didn't complete his usual routine of kisses and hugs and instead ran towards the stairs and shouted a goodnight to both his mother's over his shoulder. Emma opened her mouth to speak but suddenly Henry appeared again and looked at Regina, "thanks, Mom, tonight was really cool," he smiled at her and then headed to the stairs.

Emma looked at Regina and tilted her head, "so, you don't play games?"

Regina flushed, "well, I hadn't realised how exhilarating it is, it's all the fun of war but without the bloodshed!"

Emma shook her head, "I'm going to totally pretend I didn't hear that sentence," she laughed as she started to disconnect the games console from the television.

Regina furrowed her brow, "yes, maybe that could be misconstrued," she agreed before picking up the box for the game that Emma had just placed on the coffee table, "are there other games like this one?"

Emma smiled, "yes, but why don't you focus on killing everyone who pissed you off in this edition first?"

"Where's Grace?" Regina asked as she mindlessly picked up some popcorn and ate a few kernels from her cupped hand.

Emma turned around and looked at her, "seriously?"

Regina smirked and Emma laughed, "okay, you got me there, well done.."

"Did she go down okay?" Regina asked as she took a sip of apple juice.

"Yes, we hardly got two pages into Oliver Twist," Emma sighed, "it's going to take me a decade to read that book at this rate."

"I honestly don't think she'd mind, or notice, if you skipped ahead a few pages when you read to her," Regina pointed out as she found herself staring at Emma's behind as she leaned behind the television to unplug a cable.

"I just don't want her to miss anything, ya know?" Emma said as she reached further down behind the television.

Regina shook her head to distract herself from the sight of Emma's rear covered in tight jeans, "did you bring the baby monitor down?"

"Yup," Emma said as she stood up and pointed to the armchair where the monitor sat.

Regina reached over and picked it up and turned the volume up to check it was all working when she heard Henry's voice. Emma stared at Regina and they both quickly gathered around the device and listened to Henry whispering to a sleeping Grace.

"..and then we're gonna practice your crawling, I know you can't do it yet but Mom says that you should start soon and I'm gonna help you so that's tomorrow planned.."

Emma and Regina stared at each other with enormous grins on both their faces as they listed to Henry kiss Grace goodnight.

"Sweet dreams, Sis," he said softly and then they heard the sound of him leaving the room.

Regina turned the volume down a little on the monitor and a small tear escaped from her eye and ran down her cheek and Emma smiled at her with similarly tear-filled eyes.

"He's a good boy," Regina said steadily.

"Yes," Emma agreed, "you brought him up well."

Regina opened her mouth to say something but Emma just placed a single finger on the seated brunette's lips, "you did and I'm going to be eternally thankful for that."

Regina smiled and placed a gentle kiss on the finger that covered her lips and Emma blushed and then returned to her clearing away of the games console.

"I take it Belle is okay?" Regina said, "I assumed you wouldn't wish to discuss it when you returned?"

Emma coiled up a power cable and nodded, "Belle's fine, Gold healed her.. and eradicated all evidence," she shook her head.

"I'd do the same," Regina whispered.

Emma smiled, "I'd do the same for you, if I could."

"So, what happened?" Regina asked, "if you can tell me?"

"Someone broke into Gold's shop and stole some stuff," Emma said without going into too much detail. She didn't suspect Regina but she also didn't want to needlessly worry the woman until she had more information to divulge.

"They hit Belle over the head but she can't remember anything. Gold's going to see what was taken and give me a list tomorrow," Emma finished as she stacked all the games console equipment on the coffee table and then sat next to Regina on the sofa.

"Anyway," Emma said, "I really don't want to talk about Gold."

"Me neither," Regina admitted.

Emma leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Regina's lips which caused Regina to gently bring her hand up to hold Emma's arm to both steady herself and to keep the blonde in place just in case. They shared a few gentle kisses as they tested each other and grew in confidence.

Emma's hands wrapped around Regina's back and held the brunette softly whilst running her hands up and down the older woman's spine. Regina used her other arm to wrap around the blonde and forcefully bring her body closer so their legs were pressed against each other as they sat side by side.

It was Emma who deepened the kiss and falteringly opened her mouth and was relieved when Regina did the same and their soft kisses progressed to open mouthed kisses. The arm around Emma's back started to wander down until Regina was resting her hand on Emma's rear.

Emma smiled at the contact and it bolstered her confidence and she deepened the kiss again and adjusted her hands so she could gently guide Regina back so she was laying down and Emma partially rested her body on top of her. The movement and the pressure caused Regina to hum in satisfaction and swipe her tongue into Emma's mouth which in turn caused Emma to softly moan.

Regina intensified her grip on the blonde's backside and brought her other hand up to roam over Emma's back possessively and Emma moved her hand around to Regina's stomach and slowly brought it up her body until she neared her breast.

Emma tore her mouth away and said, "may I?"

"If you don't I might explode," Regina said and leaned up to seize Emma's mouth again with her own.

Emma inched her hand higher and it grazed over Regina's sweater and bra-covered breast but it still felt so amazingly sexual to Emma who moaned into Regina's mouth again at the touch.

The baby monitor crackled to life and Grace made a sound like she was on the cusp of waking and both women paused and turned to stare at the device that was on the table beside them. Regina had her hands on Emma's rear and back and Emma had hers in Regina's hair and on her breast. They stared at the device as they waited to see what would happen as they heard the tossing and turning of a baby and soft verbalisations.

After a few moments the device went quiet and the women realised that Grace wasn't about to wake up. They looked at each other and let out gentle laughter and Emma eased herself up off of Regina and blushed a little. Regina peeled herself off the sofa and fixed her hair and laughed, "well, that was.." she trailed off as she realised she didn't really know what it was.

"Yeah," Emma agreed as she felt the same, exhilarated, terrified, aroused, confused but overall, happy.

"We should.." Regina said as she pointed to the ceiling and then quickly added, "separately! Not that.." she laughed, "I'm really not very good at this."

Emma laughed, "that makes two of us.. but, yes, I agree, we should go to bed. Separately.. it's a bit soon," she waved her hand between them in a gesture she hoped Regina would understand.

Regina nodded, "agreed, I.. we said we'd take it slowly.."

Emma nodded, "yes, I.. I think that's for the best. For both of us.."

There was a breath of relief from both of them as they simultaneously realised that they had both enjoyed the experience but also both needed time to process events before they took things to another level.

They stood up and Emma looked at the snacks and drinks that were still on the table but as she looked at the Regina waved her hand and they all vanished.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Regina said and Emma held her breath, "but do you need assistance with sleeping tonight?"

Emma let out the breath and smiled, "no, I think I'll be okay, I have sweet things to think about tonight."

Regina smiled and dipped her head, "me too," she pointed to the kitchen, "I'm just going to.." she trailed off.

"Okay," Emma understood that Regina wanted to avoid an awkward goodnight so she leaned forward and gave the brunette a gentle kiss on the cheek, "see you in the morning," she whispered as she walked towards the stairs.


	79. Chapter 79

An hour after the impromptu make-out session in the living room, Emma was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She had been listening to all the sounds in the house and had heard Regina come up the stairs and check in on Henry and then on Grace. Then Regina had gone into her bedroom and closed the door and Emma had heard vague sounds of water running in the ensuite bathroom.

Now everything was quiet but Emma still couldn't sleep. Her mind kept switching back to the sofa, and her body pressed into Regina's as they kissed. She had tried to ignore it, tried to distract herself but it was useless and the thoughts kept reappearing in her mind.

In the room next door Regina lay in bed staring at the ceiling in her silky nightdress that she had put in just in case she saw Emma the next morning. She felt ridiculous for choosing her nightwear based on a potential encounter on the hallway landing but the kissing on the sofa had unexpectedly woken something inside her. The feel of Emma's hand gently massaging her breast was still playing on her mind and something she was more than eager to recreate.

Just down the hallway Emma balled up her fists by her side as she resolutely told herself that she was not going to touch herself, not in Regina's house and not with two children present in that very house. But no matter what she did to distract herself, images of Regina continued to flash through her mind and she couldn't stop herself from licking her lips at the thought of another kiss. She considered that maybe she should touch herself, just to relieve some of the pressure so that the next time they kissed she would be able to control herself better and not throw herself on top of Regina like she did that evening.

Next door Regina could feel the wetness gathering between her thighs and squeezed them together in an effort to not think about what was happening down there. Of course this had the opposite effect and instead she started to feel even more turned on. Her eyes flicked to the closed door and she bit her lower lip as she wondered if she would be able to get away with efficiently taking care of herself before Grace's next feed was due.

Meanwhile Emma felt like she was going to explode and shook her head to herself as she quickly unbuttoned her pyjama top and then pushed down the matching trousers. Sitting up she pulled off the top and threw it down the bed and then turned over so she was on her front, she slid her hand down between her body and the bed and rubbed two fingers into her folds.

Regina knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she satisfied herself, she wasn't used to waiting and she certainly wasn't used to not getting what she wanted. She pulled at her nightdress so it was bunched up around her stomach and then bent her knees and lowered her hand as she closed her eyes to focus. As she came into contact with the wetness she found her eyes flew open, she couldn't remember ever being as wet before. Running her fingers through the liquid she separated her folds and brought her fingers up to her clit and swallowed down a low moan at the sensation.

Emma was an expert in fast and effective masturbation, when you had the kind of transient life she did when you were coming of age you quickly learnt how to get in, get off and get out as quickly as possible. Within a couple of minutes she was rubbing her clit so hard she was worried she might hurt herself with the friction despite the enormous amount of wetness she was creating. She knew she wasn't going to come in that position and she needed more so she pushed herself up so she sat up on her knees and faced the headboard. She shuffled her knees apart a little to give herself more room and then plunged a finger inside herself as she stared at the wall, knowing that Regina was in bed on the other side of that wall.

Regina's hips were bucking slightly as she circled her clit with fast and efficient movements, she brought her other hand up to ghost over her breast in the way Emma had done earlier but she found it deeply lacking. She scrunched up her eyes to distract herself from what she was doing and to focus on creating a dream reality. One in the future when they were both fully ready to be intimate, one where she was sharing the large bed with Emma who was.. she thought for a moment about just what the hell women did together and her eyes opened as she realised she really didn't know. She continued her movements as she pictured what she'd like Emma to do, she realised she wished it was Emma's fingers on her clit and she closed her eyes and focussed on that feeling.

Emma had quickly added another finger and was now quickly pounding into her pussy with a lightning speed as she brought her other hand down to play with her clit. Still kneeling and still staring at the wall she pictured Regina in her mind, an image of the Evil Queen outfit flashed before her mind and she felt a rush of fresh liquid at the thought and blushed. She focussed on Regina, in her crisp white shirts, her tailored dresses and suits. She had no idea what they were doing but she knew she liked it and she knew she wanted to find out where it would lead. The book she had been reading in an attempt to distract herself had been sliding closer and closer to the edge of the bed as she rode her fingers and it dropped to the floor with a small bump and Emma paused her movements and tried to keep her heavy panting to a minimum as she remained still in the hope it hadn't woken anyone.

Regina heard a noise and paused, which was hard work considering how desperately she wanted to come and how far away from completion she knew she was. This was supposed to be quick but somehow she was so turned on she struggled to get to the plateau that she desired. No other sounds were forthcoming and she couldn't wait any longer, she closed her eyes again and dipped her fingers lower into her folds for coat them in her wetness. Bringing them up higher again she returned to her rhythm on her clit and with the other hand pulled her nightdress strap down and released her breast and roughly massaged it.

Emma couldn't hear anything so she continued her movements, quickly getting back into a rhythm with both hands and focusing on what she imagined Regina's breasts to look like. She felt like an utter pervert for cataloguing every piece of information she had on the mounds and attempting to conjure up an image but it was working, she could feel she was getting closer to orgasm.

Regina could feel the stirrings of orgasm within her and tipped her head to the side and tightly scrunched up her eyes in order to focus on the intense feelings. Her fingers were moving so fast they occasionally slipped from her sensitive nub but she was so lost in the sensations she quickly corrected herself and continued. She could feel the tingling feeling building and then, quite by surprise, she was coming and thrashing about on the bed. She attempted to steady her movements but it was difficult as she hadn't been expecting an orgasm of that intensity. She swallowed hard and attempted to get her breathing back to a normal pattern.

Emma leaned forward as she felt the muscle contract and her orgasm build, she knew she was going to make a noise so she smothered her face in the pillow in front of her and moaned softly into it as she rode out the orgasm which seemed to go on for a lot longer that she was used to. She released her fingers and fell into bed in exhaustion and giggled lightly to herself before she drifted into a deep sleep.


	80. Chapter 80

Emma startled awake and quickly pulled her hand away from between her thighs and sighed as she realised she had been touching herself in her sleep, something she hadn't done for years. She quickly sat up in bed and cleaned her hand off with a tissue and muttered to herself, "get yourself together."

She sighed and stretched out her body and winced at the tightness in her right leg and decided that she really needed to do her exercises or there was a chance she'd freeze up entirely. She walked over to her chest of drawers and pulled out some tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt that would be loose enough for her to exercise in.

She glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed it was just after six in the morning so decided to stay in her room and complete her exercises before heading downstairs to have an early breakfast. With another sigh she pulled an exercise mat out of her closet and began doing the stretches and exercises that she was supposed to be doing twice a day.

After twenty minutes she thought she heard something in the house and paused mid-stretch and looked towards the door. She listened intently and then she heard the tell-tale sound of Grace waking up so she got up and bolted to the door, determined to get there before Grace managed to wake Regina.

She quickly entered the nursery and switched off the baby monitor so the sound of Grace starting to cry didn't filter through the device and picked Grace up.

"There, there," she soothed the little girl who cuddled into Emma sleepily.

She heard a bedroom door open and turned at the very moment that Regina entered the nursery and came to a skidding halt when she saw Emma.

"Oh," Regina said as she tried to catch up with events, "I.. wanted to.. before she woke you.."

"Same idea," Emma said as she looked at Regina's silky nightdress and the absence of the usual robe that Regina wore.

Regina nodded and attempted to smooth her wild hair down and Emma hid a smile by turned and walking Grace around the room, "she's starting to fall back to sleep," Emma said softly, "aren't you, Sweetheart?"

"Were you.. exercising?" Regina asked with a tired frown as she indicated Emma's clothing.

"Yeah," Emma smiled, "my leg was a little sore so I was doing my morning exercises."

"You've never done morning exercises before," Regina tilted her head, "has your injury gotten worse?"

"It was just tight this morning," Emma said casually before looking at Regina and smiling, "don't worry so much."

"I can't help it," Regina admitted, "it's my default setting.."

Grace had started to drift off in Emma's arms and Emma looked down at her and kissed her on the forehead, "I think she's nearly off again.."

"You're wonderful with her," Regina said softly.

Emma blushed, "I'm so grateful to have her in my life," she hesitated, "and you, of course."

Regina smiled and nodded as Emma gently put Grace back into her bed and switched the monitor back on. They both quietly left the room and then closed the door behind them and stood in the hallway looking at each other, neither quite sure what to say.

"I can't stop thinking about you," Emma quietly admitted as she struggled to make eye contact with Regina.

"I.. feel the same way," Regina disclosed hesitantly.

"I know you wanna take things slowly," Emma said, "and so do I.. believe me," she whispered as she looked around the darkened hallway, "but.. I.." she trailed off as she couldn't find the words.

Regina nodded, "I know what you mean, I don't want to rush into anything but I can't stop thinking about you.. but then I can't help but think that this is all so sudden.."

A knocking on the front door echoed through the house and they both looked at each other in confusion. With a wave of her hand Regina was dressed in a blue dress, tights and high heels with her hair and makeup perfectly done. Emma couldn't help but give her a glare as the older woman walked down the stairs looking like she was fresh from the catwalk while Emma trailed behind her in her sweats and looking like a mess.

The knocking on the front door sounded again and Regina rolled her eyes as she swung the door open to reveal Mister Gold standing on the porch with a troubled look on his face.

"Regina," he said by way of greeting and then seeing Emma behind her he simply smiled as she inclined his head, "Sheriff."

Before either woman had a chance to think too much about what the scene looked like to him he spoke to Regina, "the lamp is missing."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked him in surprise and he nodded.

"Lamp?" Emma asked.

"But he is at the hospital, I'd be informed immediately if he wasn't there," Regina told Gold with certainty.

"Who else would want the lamp?" Gold asked her with a heavy sigh.

"Who?" Emma tried again.

"Sidney Glass," Regina told her before she summoned her phone to appear in her hand by magic and dialled a number as she walked into the house and out of the drafty doorway. Emma gestured for Gold to come in and asked, "why would Sidney want a lamp?"

"Because he's the Genie, Dearie," Gold told her as if it were obvious.

"Sidney Glass is the Genie of the lamp?" Emma asked him with confusion.

"Yes," Gold nodded as Regina made a call to the hospital in the distance.

"Like, three wishes, Robin Williams, kinda Genie?" Emma continued.

"If you like, Dearie," Gold smiled at her bewilderment.

"He's still there, they just looked in on him," Regina said as she returned to the group.

"Then he has an accomplice" Gold said with a shrug, "but the lamp and several other items have disappeared and he is technically a user of magic."

Regina scoffed with laughter, "Sidney? Magic?"

"His magic may have been stored by the lamp but he can harness it if he wishes and he certainly has an understanding of the craft," Gold said, "but if you say he is still in the facility.."

"I will drop by later this morning and check for myself," Regina told him, "how is Belle?"

Gold softened as he nodded, "she is doing well, still a little shaken up but much better."

"I'm going to increase visible patrols outside the shop," Emma told him.

"Oh, I wouldn't bother," Gold told her with a crooked smile, "when you have access to magic," he glanced at Regina meaningfully, "you will go to any lengths to protect those you love."

Emma knew something was up but decided to remain silent as Gold turned and opened the front door, "let me know what you find out about Mister Glass, Regina," he said as he left the house.


	81. Chapter 81

Emma closed and locked the door behind Gold and looked at Regina, "what was that about?"

Regina shook her head in confusion, "no idea," she attempted to blag and started to walk away.

"Oh come on," Emma said, "why did he look at you like that when he said people with magic would go to any lengths to protect those they love?"

Regina had climbed the few stairs to the hallway and now turned and looked down at Emma who was standing by the front door with her arms folded and waiting for an answer.

"I.." Regina started before looking up at the ceiling and swallowing, "I cast a protection spell on you."

Emma looked at the brunette with a confused expression.

Regina turned around and started walking towards the kitchen.

"Whoa, whoa," Emma cried out as she rushed up the steps and walked in front of Regina to prevent her from going anywhere, "you what?"

Regina swallowed nervously, "I cast a protection spell on you, though I don't know how he found out about it."

"What does that even mean?" Emma asked.

"It means that you are protected from any minor ailments, cuts, bruises.. if someone were to try to injure you, you would be aware of their presence," Regina tried to explain, "it's complicated."

Emma looked at her hand, "I did cut myself.."

Regina frowned, "what?"

"In Gold's shop yesterday evening I thought I cut myself on broken glass but when I looked there was nothing there," Emma said as she studied her hand, "did the spell heal me?"

Regina nodded, "yes, it will have and that explains how he knows about it," she huffed.

"You don't like that he knows about it?" Emma questioned.

"I don't like anyone knowing my weaknesses," Regina admitted.

"When did you.." Emma asked softly, sensing that Regina was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"When I healed your spinal injury," Regina said as she looked anywhere but Emma's face.

Emma nodded as she took that in and then asked, "I know my understanding of magic is a little lacking but I would assume that would take a lot of magic?"

Regina quickly stepped around Emma and into the kitchen without saying a word and Emma remained where she was as she quickly debated with herself how to deal with this. She realised that Regina's collapse was not only caused by healing her but also adding this protection spell to her, a spell that had been in effect ever since. The fact that Regina endangered herself like that was infuriating to Emma but then the fact that Regina cared enough to go to those lengths was too much for Emma to take in in one go.

Emma didn't know if Regina was embarrassed or worried but she certainly didn't want Emma knowing about the protection spell nor did she want to talk about it now it was out in the open. Without a second thought Emma turned and walked into the kitchen and smiled at the sight of Regina busying herself in the kitchen making coffee.

"So, Sidney was the Genie?" Emma asked, glossing over the protection spell until another time.

"Yes," Regina said tersely and Emma realised that that was also a sore point for the brunette.

"Where is Sidney now?" Emma asked gently.

"In a.. facility," Regina replied cryptically as she held up a mug, "coffee?"

Emma nodded and Regina quickly turned around and fussed unnecessarily with the coffee machine.

"Regina.." Emma said softly as she approached the brunette, "I know that there are.. a few skeletons.. in your closet. And I know you don't necessarily want to talk about it," she paused in the hope that Regina would reply in some way.

When she didn't Emma continued, "but I really need to know, Belle was attacked and I have a duty.."

"I told you that Sidney was the Genie!" Regina turned around angrily, "when I poured my heart and soul out to you! Do you really forget so easily?!"

Emma backed up, "hey, I'm sorry," she said gently, "I kind of forgot that bit.."

"Forgot?!" Regina cried in anguish and stormed over to the sink and busied herself with cleaning the taps.

With careful movements Emma stepped closer to Regina and reached around and turned off the tap and removed the cloth from Regina's hand and lightly turned her around so the brunette was facing her.

"I remember now, but when you told me I was very distracted because you had just told me that my grandfather had you trapped in a loveless marriage and that you lost a baby because of him," Emma said with a careful tone, "after you told me that, I went in there," she pointed to the laundry room, "and I punched the wall because I was so angry and upset by it."

Emma suddenly had a moment of realisation and she looked at her hand, "the protection spell," she whispered, "I wondered if I'd broken my hand with that punch but then I forgot all about it, the pain went away.." she looked up at Regina with tears in her eyes.

"I didn't forget, I was just distracted at that moment," Emma said plainly, "I know it was hard for you to open up to me and I appreciate that you did and I did listen to you. I'm sorry I took a while to catch on back there.."

Regina brusquely nodded her head as her arms wrapped around her own body protectively.

"So," Emma said, "correct me if I'm wrong.. Sidney was a Genie who Leopold released and he fell in love with you. You convinced him to kill Leopold and then trapped him in the mirror?"

Regina gave a small nod and Emma continued, "in Storybrooke he was a journalist and.. what happened?"

"He's in a secure facility underneath the hospital," Regina said quietly.

"Okay," Emma said carefully, "and he's been there since the curse broke?"

"Yes," Regina looked up at Emma's face, "the staff there are loyal to me and they have been instructed to inform me of any issues. When I called just now they checked on his room and he was there."

"Does Sidney have magic?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina shook her head, "the lamp contained the magic, Sidney has a very good understanding of magic but no ability as far as I know.."

"As far as you know?" Emma asked, "so he might?"

Regina shrugged and Emma thought that the usually powerful woman looked so small in front of her with her arms around her and not daring to speak.

"If he has the lamp could he have magic?" Emma quizzed.

"Maybe," Regina shrugged, "but the lamp was his prison."

"Do you know of anyone else who might want the lamp?"

Regina shook her head and softly said, "no.."

"Okay," Emma said and took Regina's hands from her upper arms and pulled them apart and brought the brunette into a hug. Regina instantly put her arms around Emma and buried her head in the blonde's neck, "I'm sorry I got upset with you," she whispered.

"I'm sorry I made you feel like I didn't listen to you," Emma said back.

"Did you really punch the wall?" Regina asked.

"Yes," Emma said faintly, the anger still bubbling just below the surface.

Regina nodded but didn't say anything else, her mind was racing at the thought that Emma was so incensed by what had happened in Regina's life that she had to react in such a way.

"Thank you for the protection spell," Emma said as she stroked Regina's hair softly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before," Regina said, "it never seemed like the right time, I knew you would be angry that I used my magic like that."

"Not angry," Emma replied as she took a small step back and held Regina's face in her hands and looked at her intently, "but please be careful with yourself, I know that must have taken a lot of power and I don't want you to be hurt because of me."

Regina nodded silently but Emma held her face firm and said, "promise me.."

"I promise," Regina nodded with a small smile.


	82. Chapter 82

"Are you two, like, together now?" Henry asked from the doorway causing both women to jump apart guiltily.

Emma went from being cool, calm and collected to overcome with panic in a split-second whereas Regina, with clearly more parenting experience under her belt, simply asked, "what would you say if the answer was yes?"

Henry shrugged casually as he walked into the room and sat on the stool at the kitchen island and looked at both of them, "I'd say it was cool but I'd need to know your intentions towards my Mom."

Regina and Emma both looked at each other and then at Henry quizzically.

"You first," he looked at Emma and folded his hands in front of him like he were conducting a job interview.

"Henry.." Emma shook her head with a laugh.

"Not a great start, Emma," Henry sighed.

Regina folded her arms and regarded Emma, "yes, Emma, what are your intentions towards me?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at Regina and then looked at Henry, "Kid.. I.. I like her, a lot," she winced, "do I have to do this?"

Henry shrugged, "depends if you want me to spend more time with David and Mary Margaret so you can be alone," he waggled his eyebrows but both women knew he had no idea what he was referring to.

"We're still figuring things out and this is very early stages for both of us but my intentions towards Regina," Emma gestured to the woman beside her, "are entirely honourable."

Henry nodded with satisfaction and then looked at Regina, "your turn.."

Emma smirked at Regina who in turn looked at Henry with pleading eyes, "is this really necessary, Henry?"

Emma stepped close and whispered quietly, "if it gets him out the house so we can have some quality time together then I think it's worth it, don't you?"

The soft whisper in Regina's ear caused her to feel a familiar tingling sensation in her body and she coughed to cover the blush that she knew was forming on her cheeks, "my intentions are also honourable," she told Henry with a small dip of her head.

"Is that it?" Henry asked her.

"That's what she said!" Regina argued.

"She said she liked you, a lot," Henry nodded.

Emma nodded as well, "I did say that," she agreed.

"I did like her but I'm going off her rapidly," Regina rolled her eyes.

Henry grinned and ignored her jibe at Emma, "cool," he slid off his stool and started to leave the kitchen.

"Was that it?" Emma asked him in confusion.

"Sure, I'm going to take a shower before school," he said, "you guys probably want to be alone anyway," he winked before leaving.

"Well that was easier than I expected," Emma looked at Regina with a smile which promptly fell from her face as Regina laughed and shook her head as she muttered, "amateur.."

"What?" Emma puzzled.

"He's going to attempt to blackmail us," Regina said as she poured two cups of coffee, "he is my son after all."

Emma prudently decided to not bring up the fact that Henry was no longer Regina's son, it was a discussion she had decided to park for another day, "you think he'd do that?"

"Of course," Regina passed her a mug as she narrowed her eyes as she mentally strategized what Henry might be up to and what her countermove would be.

Emma put the mug down on the counter and took Regina's mug from her hand and put it down too, "or," she pulled Regina into her arms, "we could be happy that our son is happy for us to be in a relationship and even happier that he has disappeared for a while, effectively giving us some time alone."

Regina grinned, "I like your thinking," she said as she leaned in and kissed Emma before pulling back "so," she punctuated with a kiss, "you like me, a lot?"

Emma nodded as she kissed Regina and then said, "yeah, a lot.."

Regina hastily pulled Emma even closer and wrapped her arms around the blonde, allowing her hands to track up and down the muscles of her back as she deepened the kiss. Emma pushed her body against Regina's and used the momentum to back the brunette up against the kitchen counter and grabbed a fistful of the blue material of Regina's dress on each hip, causing the hem to rise up

As if suddenly realising where they were and what they were doing they abruptly halted the kiss and let go of each other with a shared grin. Regina adjusted her dress so it was back to a reasonable length. Emma thought about apologising but then realise she wasn't in the slightest bit sorry so instead she picked up her coffee mug and took a sip.

"I need to speak to Sidney," Emma said finally.

Regina could tell by Emma's phrasing and tone that she was reluctant for Regina to come with her so she simply nodded, "take Gold with you, he will be able to detect if any magic has been used there."

Emma nodded, "I'll get ready to go now.."

"Emma," Regina said as the blonde had turned to leave.

"Yeah?" Emma asked as she turned back.

"Shouldn't you finish your exercises first?" Regina queried as she glanced at Emma's leg.

"It'll be fine," Emma said casually.

"May I.. suggest something?" Regina said with a sudden nervousness.

"Sure," Emma shrugged with a hint of concern.

"I think you have been avoiding your exercises because you were under the impression that as long as you were.. injured.. you would have a reason to stay here. I don't know if this was conscious reasoning or not.." Regina said carefully.

Emma opened her mouth and then thought for a second before speaking and suddenly she realised that Regina was right. She had been deliberately sabotaging herself but she hadn't been able to figure out why. Yes the exercises were annoying and painful but it wasn't like Emma to not take care of her body in that fashion and suddenly it was making sense.

"I think you should ensure you do your morning and evening exercises," Regina said, "every day."

Emma nodded as she breathed the question, "and when I'm healed?"

"Then the stairs won't be such a burden for you, Dear," Regina smiled.


	83. Chapter 83

The nurse looked at Emma with her crutch and Gold with his cane and smiled, "well, don't you two make a lovely pair?"

Normally Emma would have had something to say to the woman but the fact that she was now standing in a secretive facility under the hospital where her new girlfriend hid away people who pissed her off had her a little unsettled to say the least.

When she had called Gold and asked him to join her at the facility he seemed keen to come along and speak with Sidney himself. On the way to the hospital he had told Emma that the objects that had been taken seemed to have no connection but a lot of ingredients for potions were also missing.

Emma had asked him what kind of potions could be made with the ingredients that had been taken and the list appeared to be absolutely endless. The more Emma thought back to her previous encounters with Sidney the more her skin crawled at the manipulative and obsessive man.

"We're here to see Glass," Gold told the nurse with no preamble.

"At the end on the left," the nurse said without looking up from her paperwork.

Gold limped off up the corridor and Emma followed him with a deep sense of foreboding at what lurked in each of the rooms.

"People shouldn't be kept here," Emma said.

"Some should," Gold disagreed.

"No one should live like that," Emma shook her head.

Gold paused and turned and looked at her, "think about those terrible fairy tales you read when you were a little girl, Sheriff. It wasn't just the Evil Queen who would haunt your dreams at night, was it?"

He lifted his cane and pointed at the closed doors, "these people are here for a reason and they are not like you, they are from another world where things work very differently. Think of the things that could do if they were free."

Emma looked around the corridor at the doors and swallowed, "it's not right," she muttered somewhat defeated.

"If you want your precious boy to be safe then you need to forget that these people are here," he said as he turned again.

"About Henry," Emma said as she walked behind him, "I need you to undo the adoption dissolution."

He paused and turned to look at her again, "you can't undo a dissolution, Dearie."

"Then I want you to make Regina Henry's adoptive mother again," Emma told him, annoyed that he was pretending he didn't know what she meant.

"And why are you speaking to me about this and not Regina?" Gold asked.

"Because I haven't discussed it with her yet," Emma said.

Gold regarded her for a moment before explaining, "Regina would need to come to me to adopt the boy again and I don't think she would do that."

Emma thought about it for a moment and realised he was right, Regina loved Henry and she thought of him as her son these days but she wouldn't want to go through the legal process of re-adopting him. The memories it would bring up would be a big strain on all three of them and Emma didn't want to go down that painful route.

"There is another option open to you," Gold hinted.

"What's the price?" Emma sighed.

"No price," Gold shrugged, "I'm feeling generous today."

Emma looked unconvinced, "go on.."

"In this world a contract is legally binding," Gold told her as he turned and continued walking down the corridor, "a verbal deal is not as.. powerful.. as it is in my realm."

"So?" Emma asked.

"If the contract would cease to exist then everything would go back to the way it was," Gold told her.

"You mean.. destroy the contract?" Emma asked him.

"I'm not suggesting anything," Gold maintained, "I'm merely telling you of an option available to you."

"And that would mean that.. Regina would be Henry's adoptive mother.. and I.." Emma trailed off.

"Would be exactly what you were when you drove into town," Gold smirked, "nothing. Not that that little detail stopped you, Miss Swan. The question is, do you trust Regina enough to give her that kind of power?"

They came to a stop in front of the last door and Gold pulled down the small metal flap and looked around inside before sighing and then shouting, "Nurse!"

Emma looked at him with confusion and he gestured for her to look into the cell which she did, "he's not there," she gasped.

The nurse approached, "what is it?"

"He's gone," Gold told her firmly.

"Nonsense," she pushed Emma to one side and got a large bunch of keys from her pocket and unlocked the door and walked in.

"See? He's there," she said as she pointed to an empty bed.

Emma looked from the nurse to the empty bed and back again, "this room is empty."

"He is right there," the nurse reiterated.

Gold stepped forward and placed his hand over her eyes and a white light was visible beneath his hands and then he stepped back again. The nurse blinked a couple of time, "where did he go?!"

"A very good question," Gold replied.


	84. Chapter 84

**Note**: This chapter is dedicated to Riellebrat and her amazing course-finishing skills!

Mirrors covered every wall, they were in all shapes and all sizes. Some were perfect and some were dirty, some were cracked and some were shattered. Sidney paced the room with frustration, "why won't it work," he muttered like a mad man as he kicked a compass that was lying on the floor and sent it flying into one of the mirrors.

Magical items that he had stolen from Gold's shop covered the floor of the single room log cabin. In one corner of the room he had set up a table where he had been creating magic potions and dusts. Some of his experiments had gone well but some were disasters because of the lack of magic he possessed. He had found a way to extract magic from items by using the lamp, the lamp that he swore he would never want to see again.

The lamp had been a prison and when he was freed from it he thought he would never be as happy as he was at that moment. He kept the lamp for sentimental reasons and to remind himself of the terrible life he had lived before his freedom, granting wishes to those who were greedy and undeserving.

Then he had seen the Queen, Regina, and he felt the stirrings of love. He didn't know how long he had been in the lamp, he couldn't remember a time he hadn't been in the golden cage. Being free was one thing but seeing such a beautiful creature was something quite different. He had killed for her and even though he knew that she had manipulated him, he still loved her in his own misguided understanding of love.

The mirror was another way he could serve her, be of use to her, make her fall in love with him. He knew that if he was loyal and faithful that she would eventually see him and choose him. The same theme happened in Storybrooke, he served her as best he could. When she double-crossed him again and again he looked the other way because he was so consumed with love for her.

When he was eventually locked away in a third type of prison he had had a long time to think about what had happened. At first he was angry, he wanted revenge and to hurt Regina. Show her that he was not a fool nor was he to be treated so badly. He wanted her to feel his wrath. But that soon gave way to the love he felt for her and he began spending his time thinking about Regina and learning to understand the woman and how she ticked.

It wasn't long before he realised he wasn't going to get anywhere by serving her, by being of use to her. Regina was royalty, she had no respect for people who were weak and she saw Sidney as weak. He knew that he had to show Regina what he was capable of, get her to see his strength and how alike they were. If he was going to have Regina in his life he needed to be more like her, to take what he wanted.

To do that he needed magic. His magic had always been confined to the lamp but this was Storybrooke and magic was different here. Day by day he had discovered that he was storing magic and as time went on he began to realise that he could perform basic tricks if he waited long enough to store magic.

After that he simply needed a plan and he had a lot of time to come up with one. A simple suggestion spell on the nurse and she even let him out without realising it. A visit to Gold's shop to pick up what he needed to do what he had to do. And, finally, the cabin that he had built during those long Storybrooke years. He had always known something was odd about the town, you couldn't be an investigative journalist and not realise that something was wrong. He had always suspected that one day he might need a safe haven where no one would find him so he built one in the middle of the woods.

He found himself collecting mirrors even though he had no idea why. He didn't even like them, but it was like a compulsion and had to have as many mirrors as he could find. He couldn't stand to see them in his house so he put them in the cabin. When he was locked in his cell and he put the pieces together he had laughed manically for a full day.

And now it was just a matter of remembering the spells and harnessing the magic, the magical items and the lamp were helping to increase the amount of magic he was able to store but he was still struggling with getting the mirrors to work. His anger sent a vibration through the air that caused another of the mirrors to crack and he took a deep breath to calm himself as he held out his hand towards another mirror and focussed with all his might.

The mirror fogged over and suddenly the middle cleared and he could see Henry Mills. Sidney smiled to himself as he watched the boy happily brushing his teeth in the bathroom mirror. Magic was delightfully different in Storybrooke and Sidney intended to use that to his advantage.


	85. Chapter 85

As Gold limped away from the hospital he turned to Emma, "tell Regina to cover her mirrors immediately."

"What?" Emma frowned.

"Sidney, the man in the mirror, Miss Swan," Gold sighed, "if he has magic, and it appears that he does, he'll use it to spy on the object of his affections."

"Regina?" Emma swallowed hard.

"Of course," Gold said, "he's infatuated with her. And he is unstable, as you may have gathered from your previous dealings with him."

Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly called Regina the time it took to connect the call seemed unreasonably long but Emma supposed that was always the case when you were making an urgent call.

Regina had barely started her standard telephone greeting when Emma quickly interrupted, "Sidney's escaped."

"What?" Regina seemed honestly shocked by the development, "are you sure?"

"He's gone," Emma confirmed.

"Tell her to cover the mirrors," Gold hissed, irritated at the chatter.

"Gold says to cover your mirrors," Emma relayed.

"But.." Regina started.

Gold pulled the phone from Emma's hand and put it to his ear, "Regina, he has magic, cover your mirrors and don't leave the house."

Emma looked at Gold and realised he was concerned which in turn concerned Emma because she had never seen the man look slightly bothered about a potential threat. He hung up the phone and tossed it back to Emma carelessly and walked over to the Bug that she had driven them there in.

"What aren't you telling me?" Emma demanded.

"You're in possession of all the facts," Gold told her.

"Sidney has escaped," Emma said as she opened the car doors and they both got in.

Gold looked at her with confusion, "for a reasonably intelligent woman you can be very slow sometimes."

"Hey," Emma complained but Gold waved his hand to dismiss her argument and she started to drive them away from the hospital.

"Sidney Glass spent thousands of years in captivity granting other people wishes and dreaming of freedom. He has just spent the last year in captivity again. He is mentally unbalanced and obsessed with your girlfriend and he now has discovered that he has magic abilities, does that clear everything up for you?"

Emma snapped her head around and told Gold, "she's not my girlfriend.."

Gold raised an eyebrow, "what's that expression about protesting.."

Emma opened her mouth to reply and Gold just shook his head, "whatever you two lovebirds wish to identify as she is important to you, is she not?"

"Lovebirds?!" Emma spluttered.

"Too soon?" Gold smirked.

"Let's get back to Sidney," Emma suggested.

"The items he stole contain magical properties," Gold informed her, "they came into being through magic and then were brought to this world. I would guess that he is using them to siphon off magic which would suggest that he doesn't have enough magic himself."

"How does he have magic at all?" Emma asked.

"He was the Genie," Gold shrugged, "he performed magic, albeit through the lamp, but he must have had some ability. You have magic."

"No," Emma quickly denied, "no, I don't."

"Yes, you do, Miss Swan," Gold told her patiently, "you just haven't had the need to discover it yet."

"I.. but.." Emma stuttered.

"Finding Sidney sooner rather than later would be advisable, he also stole a number of ingredients for potions and dusts and due to the volume I'm yet to ascertain what he intends to do with them," Gold sighed as he looked out of the window, "and once he realises that the mirrors are covered he will know that you're onto him."

Emma nodded, "and you're sure he's after Regina?"

"What else does he have?" Gold asked with a laugh, "he doesn't want his reporting job back, does he?"

"You say I have magic?" Emma asked as she pulled up outside his shop, "can I use that magic to protect Regina?"

"I don't know," Gold shrugged, "you tell me."

"No, you tell me," Emma told him angrily, "I'm sick of all these games!"

Gold leered, "imagine Sidney, in Regina's house," he leaned forward, "maybe in Regina's bed.."

"You sick bastard," Emma looked at him with disdain.

"Don't focus on me, Dearie, focus on him," he opened the car door, "and then you'll have your answer."

He got out of the car and slammed the door behind him and Emma involuntarily shuddered at the lingering thoughts. Gold disappeared into the shop without a glance back to her and felt the sick feeling in her stomach begin to quell.

She got her mobile phone and called David when he answered she tried to sound as professional as possible, "hey, we have a problem.."

"What's up?" David asked and she could see his worried face in her mind and she smiled at the overly expressive man.

"Sidney Glass, he broke into Gold's shop and knocked out Belle, she's fine but he took a lot of things. He has magic and now he's in hiding," she summarised as best she could.

"Sidney has magic?" David seemed confused.

"Yeah, he was the Genie in the lamp," Emma explained and gave a small shake of her head at the weird conversation she was having.

"Oh," David sounded unsure and Emma remembered that not all the fairy tale characters knew of each other.

"He's the magic mirror," Emma added and put her head in her hand at the ridiculous statement.

"Oh, him!" David seemed to register that one.

"Yeah, apparently he was obsessed with Regina," Emma said, "still is.." she drifted off.

"Okay," David took the lead, "Sean and I will start a search for him and you go and check on Regina."

"But.." Emma started. She wanted to be out there and being proactive not babysitting someone who had an abundance of magic and could defend herself.

"Maybe Regina knows something about what he might be planning, or where he is hiding out," David told her, "and there's Henry and Grace to think about."

Emma looked up in surprise, "Grace.."

"What about her?" David asked.

"If Sidney has been locked up all this time then he probably doesn't know about Grace," Emma explained.

"Better keep it that way," David told her.

"I'll get over there now, call me if you find anything at all," Emma instructed as she hung up and quickly threw the car into drive.


	86. Chapter 86

Emma rushed through the door of Regina's house in something registering just one step below blind panic and looked around to see if she could detect anything out of place.

Regina had heard the door open and walked into the hallway with a frown, "Emma?"

Emma turned to look at her and examined her, "are you okay? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," Regina said casually.

"Did you cover the mirrors?" Emma asked quickly.

"Yes," Regina sighed, "I covered the mirrors, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" Emma stared at her incredulously, "Sidney is on the loose, he has magic and he's probably coming after you!"

Regina shrugged and turned as she returned to the kitchen, "you're forgetting that I also have magic," she said as Emma followed her, "Sidney is hardly an enemy worth worrying about."

Emma looked around the kitchen at the ingredients and baking equipment, "are you.. are you making a cake?"

"Yes," Regina said, "is there a problem?"

Emma stared at Regina, "you're really not worried about Sidney are you?"

Regina let out a small laugh, "why would I be worried about Sidney?"

"Gold said.." Emma started but paused at Regina's snort of laughter.

"Emma, Sidney is nothing to be concerned about," Regina told her as she put her oven mitts on and pulled a round cake tin out of the oven.

Emma ran her hand through her hair and watched as the brunette carefully prodded the cake to ascertain if it was cooked, "Regina, I'm worried, Sidney is.. unhinged.. I know you feel you've got it all covered but I want to be safe rather than sorry."

Regina turned around with confused concern etched on her face, "okay, what do you suggest? You are the Sheriff.."

"Sidney probably doesn't know about Grace and I think that's a good thing," Emma said and was pleased when Regina acknowledged that with a nod.

"I think Henry and Grace should stay with David and Mary Margaret," Emma said quickly, expecting Regina to argue the point.

"Why would they be any safer there?" Regina asked as she placed the cake back in the oven.

"Sidney doesn't know that you and Mary Margaret are.." Emma paused as Regina turned around and regarded her with a raised eyebrow, "..not mortal enemies anymore?"

Regina nodded that she'd allow that comment and Emma continued, "he wouldn't think to look there."

With a fold of the arms and a look of consideration Regina nodded, "I could cast a protection spell around the apartment, it would be small and therefore easier to maintain. And Sidney is bound to come here, when he does finally find his balls to do so.."

Emma laughed despite the tense situation and then asked, "so you're okay with that? I can call Mary Margaret?"

Regina sighed, "very well, let me just finish my cake first."

"It smells delicious," Emma commented with a glance towards the oven.

"It's Madeira cake," Regina said casually.

"Oh, cool," Emma's eyes lit up and then she took in Regina's manner, "did.. you make that for me?"

Regina blushed and turned her attention to clearing away some baking items, "yes, I thought we might have dinner this evening, just you and I. So I made the cake for dessert."

Emma smiled, "like a date?"

Regina's blush intensified, "well, if you consider dinner at home with Henry babysitting Grace upstairs a date then.. yes. Well, that was my idea anyway, we don't have to.."

"Sounds perfect," Emma replied honestly, "and now the kids will be out of the house so no need to lock Henry away upstairs," she winked.

Regina opened the oven door and pulled the cake out and casually asked, "shouldn't you be calling your mother?"

Emma grinned at the shy woman who had her back to her and nodded, "I'll call her now," she said as she left the room and pulled her mobile phone out of her pocked and dialled Mary Margaret.

One ring managed to sound before Mary Margaret's voice loudly answered, "oh, Emma, David's told me everything! Are you okay?"

"We're fine," Emma assured her, "but we do need a favour.."

"Sure, anything," Mary Margaret said readily.

"I think it would be best if Henry and Grace stay with you guys until we've found Sidney, we're pretty sure he is going to come here and if he does I don't want.."

"Say no more," Mary Margaret replied, "bring them over whenever you like."

"Regina wants to cast some kind of protection spell on the apartment," Emma told her, "I don't really know what that involves.."

"Sounds like a good idea," Mary Margaret interrupted, "whatever keeps them safe."

"Okay," Emma said as Regina exited the kitchen and crossed the hallway while unfolding her rolled up sleeves and re-buttoning the cuffs, "we'll be there in.."

Regina caught her question and replied, "around half an hour?"

"About half an hour," Emma said as she followed Regina up the stairs.

"Okay, see you soon," Mary Margaret said and they ended the call.

"I'll pack up Grace's things," Regina said as they got to the top of the stairs, "can you talk to Henry? I've explained about Sidney being," she looked to Henry's door in case he was listening, "unwell."

"Okay," Emma said and knocked on Henry's door.

"Yeah?" Henry called out and she entered the room to see he was on his bed reading a book, although he clearly wasn't really reading the book and looked like he had just launched himself across the room and onto his bed as Emma entered.

Not knowing how much he had heard Emma decided that honesty was the best policy, "hey, Kid, I'm sorry to do this to you but we need you and Grace to stay with Mary Margaret and David until Sidney is caught."

Henry nodded his understanding slowly but sadly asked, "does Mister Glass want to hurt Mom?"

Emma swallowed, "sort of," she nodded, "Mister Glass is quite a sick man and he doesn't always understanding what is right and what is wrong. Which is why it's safer for you and Grace to be elsewhere for a while."

"But you're going to stay and look after Mom, right?" Henry asked.

"Absolutely," Emma told him with a firm nod, "I'm not going to leave her side."

"Okay," Henry said, "but you'll let me know what is happening, right?"

Emma nodded, "I promise I will text you with updates."

Henry got up from the bed and picked up his rucksack and started putting things into it, "Mom will be okay though, won't she?"

"Yeah," Emma smiled as she walked over to the window and started to look outside, "you know how strong your Mom is."

Henry nodded and picked up another bag and started to fill it with clothes, "Emma?"

Emma turned to look at him, "yeah, Kid?"

"I'm glad you and Mom are together," Henry said without looking up.

Emma smiled happily, "thanks, Henry, I'm glad too."


	87. Chapter 87

Mary Margaret seemed to instantly detect the closeness of Emma and Regina's relationship when they turned up to drop Grace and Henry off and even gave Emma a double thumbs-up when no one was looking. Once the children were settled and and the protection spell had been cast Emma drove Regina back home and insisted on doing a security sweep of the house, garage, shed and garden. When she was satisfied that everything was clear she told Regina to stay in the house and text her every half an hour to say she was okay. Regina had reluctantly agreed and Emma knew that the brunette was entirely doing it for Emma's benefit and was grateful that Regina made that concession for her.

Emma, Sean and David conducted thorough searches of Storybrooke and got the word out to everyone that Sidney was back and presumed dangerous. They spoke to his ex-colleagues at the newspaper and searched his old house and even went door to door to spread the word. Emma constantly checked her phone and would smile at the snarky messages that Regina sent her to reassure the Sheriff that she was still safe and well.

Not dead.

Still not dead.

Watching television infomercial, slightly brain dead but not dead.

Found pair of Henry's socks, wish I was dead.

"You look happy," David said sincerely as father and daughter walked out of the cannery building where they had just finished a search.

"Did Mary Margaret tell you?" Emma half-winced, not keen on having this conversation with her clearly more conservative father.

"I told her," David said with a smile as he looked at the fishing boats that were moored up.

"You?!" Emma stopped in her tracks, "how did you know?"

"I suspected for a while but I knew when Regina used that spell to find you and rescue you," David admitted, "well, that's when I knew she had feelings for you. Afterwards I knew you felt the same way."

Emma blushed and looked away from his gaze, "and.." she hesitated, "you're okay with it? Mary Margaret told me that you made her promise not to meddle.."

David gently took Emma's shoulder and spun her around to look at him, "I only did that because your mother is a terrible matchmaker and spends more time getting in the way than helping people get together," he said seriously, "I want you to be happy, I want you to have what I have and whoever can give you that feeling has my vote."

"Even if it's the Evil Queen?" Emma winced.

David laughed, "even if it's the Evil Queen," he pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair softly, "I know you have trouble trusting people and letting them close, your mother and I are always here for you but know that if Regina is the one you choose then we both support that one hundred percent."

Emma gave him a squeeze and they released each other, "thanks," she said softly, "I know I'm a bit of a mess but I'm working on it."

They continued walking along the docks towards the car, "as long as you know we're here for you in whatever capacity you need us to be," he smiled.

"Can I ask you something mega awkward?" Emma asked as she made an effort to not make eye contact with him.

"Er, sure?" David agreed with a slight hesitation.

"Women.. being with women," Emma started, "was that like, a big thing in the Enchanted Forest or was it not really done? I'm just trying to figure out how much of a shock it will be to the town.. you know, if things do work out between Regina and me.. I don't want them to have to get their pitchforks out again.."

David nodded, "the normal practice was a man and a woman but that's not to say there were not women only or men only couples, they were not as common but they did happen. Your mother had a dalliance or two before we met," Emma grinned at the wording he used, "the town won't be scandalised and since Regina's dramatic change I don't think many people will even care about that aspect. But your mother and I will ensure that it's not an issue, for either of you."

Emma smiled gratefully, "thank you, David.."

He nodded stiffly, "I'm glad I could help, I thought for a minute you were going to ask me something else."

Emma frowned.

"Your mother mentioned," he blushed and started to look around at the sky for no reason, "that you.. well.. Regina.. would be.. your first woman, that you.. well, you know.."

"Okay, stop," Emma put her hands up, "let's not go there, shall we?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, it's just that your mother has always suspected that you were bisexual like she is," David explained, "I think she was surprised to find out you weren't.. well.. you are.. but you haven't.."

"David!" Emma glared at him.

"Right, sorry," he said apologetically as Emma got her phone out and quickly sent a text message to Regina.

Talking about sex with my dad, wishing I was dead too.

"Right, let's regroup and see if Sean has heard anything," Emma said as they got into the police cruiser.

As Emma started the call and began to drive back to town David looked at her, "we should stop in and see if Gold has anything, he was going to try a locator spell of his own. And he is looking into a way of confining the magic to the lamp so when we do find him we can remove his magic."

"Good," Emma said, "I have a feeling we're going to need every advantage we can get."

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?" David asked delicately.

"Yeah," Emma replied, "I worked with him once, I know what a devious, backstabbing bastard he is."


	88. Chapter 88

When Emma returned to Mifflin Street that night she was aware that Regina was cooking dinner for them and also aware that Regina had referred to it as a date but she was blown away by the tight black dress Regina was wearing that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Regina smiled with satisfaction at Emma's flushed cheeks and inability to speak when she opened the door for the blonde who had been fumbling with her keys.

"Good evening," Regina said with a grin.

"H-hi," Emma said weakly as she went from staring at Regina with barely concealed hunger and attempting to look away and appear unaffected.

Regina grinned and walked away, ensuring there was a little extra sway in her hips that was strictly necessary, "dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Right," Emma squeaked, "I'll, I'll go and change."

"What you're wearing is fine," Regina said before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Emma looked down at her tight black jeans and her white ribbed turtleneck and then to the kitchen door in confusion. She was definitely underdressed for whatever occasion Regina was setting up, she had been given fifteen minutes until dinner but Regina said she didn't need to change. Emma looked down at her clothes and then at the door again before finally making a decision and rushing upstairs to her room. She threw her crutch on the bed and pulled off her top and threw it on the floor and opened the door to her wardrobe and started searching through her dresses.

Suddenly she came across the red dress she had been wearing the night Henry came to Boston. She took the dress out of the wardrobe and examined it, it showed her assets nicely, it was modest in that it came down to just above her knees and it had thicker straps that she didn't need to worry about slipping. And most of all it seemed right, like she had come full circle.

Fifteen minutes later Emma opened the kitchen door and asked Regina, "do you need any help with dinner?"

Regina turned around to reply but the words seemed to get stuck as she saw Emma in front of her wearing the red dress complete with red heels, though Emma was wearing much smaller heels than she usually would so as not to tower over Regina. Her hair had been quickly curled and her makeup was light and flawless. It was Regina's turn to blush and Emma's turn to feel smug.

"Regina?" Emma tried again.

Regina shook her head and finally found her words, "no, thank you, the dining room is set, I'll be in shortly."

Emma smiled and nodded and left the kitchen to sit in the main dining room, she noticed that the large table was beautifully set for two sitting side by side, one at the head of the table. Emma knew that Regina always sat at the head of the table and with a smirk sat there herself. She looked at the wine that was chilling in a bucket of ice and poured some into the two glasses.

A few moments later Regina walked in with two small plates and Emma realised this was to be a full three-course luxury affair and smiled at the thought and effort Regina had gone to.

"This looks and smells divine," Emma said as Regina put a plate in front of her with a raised eyebrow at her choice of seat.

"It's not the only thing," Regina commented as she sat down and plucked a cotton napkin from the table and placed it on her lap.

"Thank you for your texts," Emma said, "I know you probably thought I was being silly."

Regina didn't reply as she started to eat and Emma was grateful that Regina had decided against mocking her overprotective streak.

"Did you find anything?" Regina asked softly.

"No, but we've spoken to a lot of people and that's a good start," Emma said, "if he does show his face in town it will get called in."

"Good, it's been very quiet without Grace and Henry," Regina admitted.

Emma grimaced a little, "I can imagine, I'm sorry.."

"Oh, it's okay, I got rather used to being on my own in this house," Regina commented, "at least it was only for a few hours and I could occupy myself."

Emma bit her lip with concern, "tomorrow I'll stay here.."

"You don't need to do that, I'll be fine," Regina could see that Emma was bothered by the thought of her being lonely so decided to change the subject to something lighter, "may I enquire why you were discussing sex with your father?"

Emma nearly spat wine over the table but managed to control her reaction just in time, "er, well.." she laughed, "God it was so embarrassing."

Regina laughed, "I can imagine, how on earth did you get yourself into that situation?

Emma winced, "you sure you want to go there?"

"I'm not squeamish," Regina said as she picked up her wine glass.

"I was asking David about how coming same sex relationships are in the Enchanted Forest," Emma explained, "so I could gauge the reaction, kinda thing.."

Regina raised her eyebrow and inclined her head, "and what did Charming have to say about that?"

"Well, he said that a man and a woman was by far more common but that same sex relationships did happen so people wouldn't be too scandalised. He even said that he and Mary Margaret would support us and then he told me that Mary Margaret had even had a," she laughed, "dalliance or two with women in the past."

Regina coughed loudly before looking surprised, "Snow?"

Emma smiled widely, "yes, Snow," she chuckled.

"She's.. no," she shook her head, "no, not Snow. Maybe kissed but nothing more, surely?"

"Well from what she told me it was a bit more than a kiss," Emma took a sip of wine.

Regina stared at her, "she told you about it?"

"Not in detail, I was a bit preoccupied at the time but she mentioned it, sure," Emma said.

Regina gulped down some wine before heavily placing the glass down and Emma looked at her with concern, "are you okay?"

"Fine," Regina said quickly, "fine."

"I've upset you," Emma noted sadly as she tried to mentally figure out what Regina would be upset.

Regina sighed softly, "no, you haven't, I'm just.." she looked up at the ceiling while she sucked in a deep breath, "I'm a little concerned about.. my lack of experience," she finally finished with a shake of the head.

"Oh thank God," Emma announced.

Regina stared at her in anger and Emma put her hand up to calm the brunette, "because I've been thinking the same thing."

Regina seemed to get angrier and Emma played the conversation back in her mind before suddenly realising her words and quickly adding, "about my experience! Me lacking experience for you!"

The stare seemed to wane and slowly a relieved smile crept onto Regina's features.

Emma breathed a sigh of relief that the crisis had been aborted, "anyway, let's not talk about my mother's sex life during out date, eh?"

Regina raised her glass, "agreed!"

The clinked glasses and each took a sip of wine and Emma remarked, "besides, we've been doing fine so far, we'll just see what happens, I'm sure we'll figure it out."

Regina smiled and picked up her knife and fork and continued to eat her starter. Emma had finished so she placed her cutlery down and hesitantly looked around the table.

"Out with it," Regina said without looking up.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Your fidgeting like Henry does when he has something to say that he thinks I won't like," Regina told her, "so.. out with it."

"Gold thinks I have magic," Emma revealed.

Regina's eyebrows lifted in surprise, "why does he think that?"

"I don't know," Emma admitted, "I haven't done anything magic-y, he just said that I have it and when I said I didn't he said I hadn't had the need for it yet."

Regina finished eating and delicately wiped at the corners of her mouth with her napkin, "it is certainly possible," she noted, "you are the Saviour after all."

Emma whispered, "don't.."

Regina nodded her understanding that Emma was uncomfortable with the label and gently placed her hand over the young woman's own hand, "I'm sorry, but the fact still remains that it's possible."

Emma turned her hand over and gently held Regina's hand, "so.. how do we find out if I do have magic?"

"We can investigate after dinner if you would like?" Regina offered as she looked at their connected hands distractedly.

"I'd like that," Emma smiled and they looked at each other for a few moments before Regina blinked and looked down at the plates.

"I.. should check on dinner," she said as she stood and started to clear the starter plates away.

"I feel bad, how can I help?" Emma asked.

Regina placed a kiss on the top of Emma's head, "stop looking so attractive or we'll never get through this meal," she laughed as she walked back into the kitchen.


	89. Chapter 89

Following the meal Emma and Regina decided to sit in the living room with the second bottle of wine of the evening. High heels had been discarded as they sat curled up at either end of the small sofa, facing each other and talking. It all seemed so natural, they had covered off Emma's time in prison and Henry's birth before Regina spoke about Henry as a baby and growing up. The spoke a little about the Enchanted Forest until Emma could see that the memories were too difficult for Regina.

"So, magic," Emma said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Magic," Regina said with a smile at the goofy woman in front of her.

"How do I see if I'm Gandalf?" Emma asked as she put her wine glass on the table in front of them.

Regina rolled her eyes, "well it's not an easy process," she ignored Emma's flippant comment.

"Okay, how do we start?" Emma asked eagerly.

Regina placed her own wine glass down on the table "well, all magic is emotion, as you learn to control it it becomes easier to summon."

Emma frowned and Regina tried again, "if you summon magic by.. anger.. when you first try to summon magic you may need to be in a fierce rage. But later, when you are more familiar with magic, you won't need to go to those lengths."

"Okay, so you're telling me I need to be really emotional to summon my magic, if I have any?" Emma speculated.

"Precisely," Regina said.

Emma uncurled herself from the sofa and sat up straight, "so.. how do I do this?"

"Well, when you first summon your magic you won't be able to do anything with it so there's no point in attempting to do something specific," Regina sat up straight as well, "you need to focus on an emotion."

"Right," Emma closed her eyes and then opened them again, "which emotion?"

"That's up you, whatever your magic may respond to," Regina said.

"Okay.. name some emotions," Emma requested.

"Well, there's annoyance, rage," Regina started.

"No, not angry, I don't want to blow something up," Emma said, "other emotions.."

"Happiness?" Regina said, "admiration, joy, love.. These are all top level emotions, you may need to go deeper into them."

Emma turned to look at her with a frown.

Regina sighed, "happiness, for example, you may be happy because you feel serene and calm, you may be happy because you're anticipating something good."

"Okay, I'm going to try joy," Emma nodded, "because you make me happy," she winked dramatically and then looked forward and closed her eyes and concentrated.

Regina watched her for any change and Emma concentrated so hard she seemed to start going red. After several minutes Emma stopped and opened her eyes, "okay, joy isn't working and because it's not working I'm getting frustrated."

Regina shrugged, "try frustration then, maybe you will only be able to access your magic through negative emotions, they are often stronger and easier to conjure up."

Emma looked unsure but closed her eyes again and focused on the emotion. She searched her brain for frustrating feelings and found herself becoming quite sad but focused on that feeling for a few minutes before she eventually opened her eyes.

"Nothing," she said dejectedly, "and now I'm sad, too."

Regina quickly sat beside her and put her arm around the blonde's shoulder, "I'm sorry.."

"Maybe we could try loving emotions," Emma smiled, "you could hold me and I could focus on that."

Regina smiled, "it's worth a shot."

Regina tightened her grip on the blonde's shoulder and put her other hand on Emma's thigh comfortingly. Emma closed her eyes and started to focus on the feel of Regina's arm across her shoulder blades and the hand resting on her thigh. She could feel Regina's leg against hers and the brunette's breast was pressed against her arm. She realised that she wasn't really focusing on emotions or tapping her magic and a smile formed on her face.

"You know.." Emma said teasingly.

"Yes?" Regina smiled at the blonde's distraction.

"Maybe I need to try a stronger emotion," Emma said as she opened her eyes and turned her head to face Regina.

Regina nodded slowly, "any ideas?"

"One or two," Emma admitted as she brought her hand up to cup Regina's face and leaned in to kiss Regina's full, red lips. In moments they repositioned themselves so they faced each other properly and intensified the kiss. One open-mouthed kiss led quickly into another and they both pulled the other as close as possible so their bodies crushed together.

Emma attempted to focus on the mind-blowing intensity of the feelings and especially the feel of Regina's tongue working it's way into her mouth but that niggling feeling that had been with her all day just wouldn't go away. She tried to push it away and concentrated on running her hands through Regina's hair and across her back. She revelled in the feelings of Regina's heaving chest pushed up against hers and the feel of their lips meeting and melting together.

But the feeling was still there and she frowned which Regina picked up on and stopped as she whispered, "Emma?"

"I'm sorry," Emma winced, "I'm so sorry.. it's not you.."

Regina didn't let the blonde go and looked at her with heart breaking kindness, "what is it, Darling?"

Emma smiled at the label and sighed, "it's Sidney," she admitted, "I know I shouldn't let him get to me but I can't help it."

Regina nodded with understanding and released her grip slightly and allowed Emma to sit back a little.

"I know it's stupid," Emma admonished herself, "I should just enjoy our time together but I can't help but think he is going to come in and ruin everything. That he is going to break up our family and take away the person I love."

Regina's eyes flew wide open at the admission and Emma closed her eyes as she apologised, "I'm sorry that probably wasn't the best way to say that.."

"I'm just surprised," Regina said quickly as her brain started to take on board the fact that Emma had admitted her love.

"You don't have to say anything back," Emma said quickly as she stared at the wine glass in front of her, mentally cursing it for her slip.

"I.. do care for you," Regina admitted slowly, carefully, "I deeply care for you, Emma, I just don't.."

"Don't say anything else," Emma said quickly as she picked up the wine glass and downed the liquid, "don't say anything either of us might regret, we've had a great evening, the food was amazing, we discovered I'm not Gandalf. Let's just pretend that last bit didn't happen, okay?"

Regina looked at her with sad eyes and Emma pleaded again, "please?"

Regina nodded her agreement and Emma smiled warmly but it didn't quite meet her eyes. The blonde glanced at the clock on the wall, "I better get moving, I need to do my exercises before bed and then I have an early start tomorrow."

"Emma.." Regina said as Emma stood up.

"Dinner was amazing, thank you so much," Emma said as Regina stood up as well, she leaned in and kissed the brunette softly on the lips, "goodnight, Regina," she quickly left the room while attempting to look unaffected by what had happened.

Regina watched her leave and sighed as she flopped back onto the sofa again. She hadn't wanted to tell Emma she loved her because she wasn't sure exactly what her feelings were yet. She knew that saying something so serious prematurely could have disastrous repercussions later down the line, especially considering how sensitive Emma was.

She knew she cared deeply about Emma, she knew she was an essential part of her life these days but she wanted to be absolutely sure what that meant before she stepped over a line. Hurting Emma was incomprehensible and Regina was absolutely determined to not make that mistake. She didn't want to tell Emma she was feeling things she wasn't feeling but now she thought about it, now she realised that Emma loved her she found she was confused.

Regina had always thought that she was unlovable, that explained so much about her life to date. It was just easier to assume that she was never going to have that kind of love in her life, that knowledge had an effect on how she felt towards others. The wall around her heart prevented her from feeling love as she knew it would never be returned. But now that was being brought into question. Emma said she loved her, or she had definitely inferred as much at least. With this new information Regina started to reconsider her own feelings.

She waved her hand and the black cocktail dress disappeared and yoga bottoms and a tank top replaced it. She quickly made her way upstairs to the door to Emma's bedroom and hesitantly knocked on the door and waited for Emma's quiet, "come in, Regina.."

Regina opened the door and popped her head around the door and saw Emma laying on an exercise mat the floor in her exercise clothes. She was looking at Regina with a fake smile, "hi?"

Regina stepped into the room to show Emma her new outfit, "I'm here to help," Regina said, "if you want me?"

A real smile replaced the one on Emma's face and she nodded, "I'd like that."

Regina entered the room and bent down to pick up a piece of paper from the floor beside Emma which had pictures of the exercises she was to perform, "these look horrendous," she commented.

"They aren't that bad," Emma shrugged.

Over the next half an hour Regina helped Emma with her exercises, holding limbs in place and counting seconds remaining in certain positions. Afterwards she stretched out with the blonde even though she hadn't done any of the exercises herself. When they were done they stood facing each other and Regina leaned in and kissed Emma softly and with promise, "goodnight, Emma," she said as she left the room. Emma stood still and watched as the door closed and felt her heart soaring happily again.


	90. Chapter 90

Sleep hadn't come easy to Emma that night, for the first third of the night she lay awake mentally kicking herself for telling Regina that she was in love with her and then rushing away from the brunette. Luckily it didn't seem that her big mouth and fast feet had got her in that much trouble as Regina had come back and helped her to exercise before giving Emma a sweet kiss that she could still feel on her lips if she focused hard enough.

The second third of the night was filled with shades of sleep and shades of deep concern about her life. Fearing about what would happen if she did mess things up with Regina, she could lose everything. The cold feelings of loneliness, abandonment and fear had her frequently getting out of bed and pacing the room in an attempt to calm herself. She had begun to understand that these feelings were irrational fears and that the only way she could guarantee protection from them was to face them head-on rather than retreating into herself like she had done before.

She wasn't sure when that change had come about but she suspected it was because she felt she had more to lose now, it was as if she had cross some kind of threshold she had previously been afraid of. She had protected herself from feelings of heartbreak by not getting too involved with anyone and each time it looked like she was about to be discarded she acted first and ran away. But now she had crossed a threshold and the things she had were too precious to lose and were worth fighting for.

Understanding that running or retreating into herself were sure-fire ways to lose everything had galvanised Emma to realise what she had and be open about it. She had Regina to thank for that, no matter what happened with their relationship she knew that she had turned a corner in her battle with abandonment and fear. She didn't want to run anymore, she wanted to stay and she wanted to fight.

Which was why the last third of the night she was consumed with concerns about Sidney Glass and what he might have planned. She ran over everything she knew about the man, eventually sitting cross-legged in bed and making notes about her own personal encounters with him and everything anyone had ever told her about him. Discerning some kind of pattern about his thought process was going to be the key to finding him and stopping him.

Eventually she fell asleep at five o'clock in the morning, she hadn't technically gone to bed and the pen had dropped out of her hand into the notebook she was writing in. She slumped back uncomfortably against the headboard as exhaustion took her.

Her mobile phone ringing woke her and she fought the disorientation to grab the noisy device, noticing that it was half past nine in the morning and that her alarm hadn't gone off.

"Hello?"

"Hi," David's voice sounded, "you okay?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Emma said as she sat up in bed. She then realised that her pen and notebook were neatly placed on the bedside table and she had been laying down in bed with the sheets pulled up around her. As she tried to sound wake for her father she wondered if she could have done that in her sleep but realised with a smile that it must have been Regina.

"You need to get to the Mayor's office," David told her, "and bring Regina."

"What's happened?" Emma asked as she got out of bed and grabbed her crutch to hobble to the wardrobe and grab some clothes.

"Archie's been attacked, he's.." David paused and Emma could visualise him looking for the right word, "he's been frozen or something."

"Frozen?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, well, there's this red mist and he's not moving," David explained, "we called Gold but he's not in so we need Regina to see if she can help."

"Okay, we're on our way," Emma said and hung up the phone.

She pulled off her pyjamas and quickly pulled on some underwear before turning back to the wardrobe to pick out some jeans.

Then she heard a quiet knock on the door followed by Regina softly calling her name and she didn't think twice, "yeah, come in," she called and heard the door open.

"We need to get to the Mayor's office," Emma said as she pulled on a pair of jeans.

When Regina didn't reply she looked up and saw Regina staring at her in surprise obviously not expecting to see Emma in such a state of undress.

"Regina?" Emma questioned, "you okay?"

Regina nodded her way out of the trance, "erm, yes, the Mayor's office?"

"Yes," Emma said as she pulled a shirt on and started to button it up, "Archie's been attacked, he's frozen or something, something about red mist?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to Emma and raised her hand and suddenly Emma's bedroom was transforming into the Mayor's office. Emma stood in her jeans and half button shirt with no shoes or socks on staring at her father who was staring back at her.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were on your way," he said.

Emma was about to complain to Regina when she turned and saw Archie suspended just off the ground, eyes wide and not moving. A red mist was swirling around his body and he looked like he was encased in some kind of clear jelly.

"What the hell.." Emma muttered as she stared at the sight.

Regina examined the situation and took a step closer to Archie and waved her hand and the jelly seemed to dissolve and then Archie fell forward towards Regina who held her hands up to steady the distressed man.

"Oh boy," he said in a whisper as Regina held onto his arm to support him, "thank you, Regina."

"What happened?" Regina asked him as she looked at him with concern as he leaned forward and fought to get his breath back. She looked up at David, "can you get him some water?"

David nodded and quickly left the office and Archie wiped at the tears in his eyes which had formed while he fought for breath, "it was Sidney," he said.

"Why would Sidney attack you?" Emma asked as she stood on the other side of Archie.

"He thought it was me," Regina said stiffly, "he doesn't know that I'm no longer Mayor."

David returned with a glass of water and handed it to Archie who took it gratefully and drank half of it in one go, "he certainly looked surprised to see me," he almost laughed.

"He burst through the doors and I was stood there," Archie pointed to the side of the office, "he threw some.. red dust at my face.. and then he seemed to realise it was me and he.. he used magic and threw me over here. And then he lifted me up and froze me in place."

"Red dust?" Regina frowned and walked over to where Archie had pointed and noticed some dust on the floor.

Just as she bent down to look at it Gold burst into the room, "don't touch it!"

Regina paused mid-motion and looked up at him in surprise, "what is it?"

"If I'm right then Sidney has managed to recreate a very old spell," Gold plucked a handkerchief out of his trouser pocket and bent down beside Regina and looked at the dust, "stand back, Dearie," he told her.

Regina stood up and took a couple of steps backwards with a frown.

"Miss Swan," Gold called her over and handed her the handkerchief, "gently pick up some of the dust with this and look at it and tell me if you can see anything specific about it."

Emma picked up some of the dust particles and looked at it with a frown, "the dust is.. kinda moving.. the particles are spinning around.. actually," she squinted, "the look like tiny triangles."

Gold nodded and stood up, "Sidney has a way to temporarily contain magic," he looked at Regina, "if you or I were to come into contact with this dust our magic would be useless for a period of time."

Regina took a tentative step away from Emma and the dust, "so he can make us powerless?"

"In effect, yes," Gold said, "you can't rely on your magic, Regina."

David had helped Archie to a chair but he was still struggling to catch his breath, "Archie I think we should get you to the hospital," David said.

Regina turned around and regarded the two men, "I might as well do some good before I'm defenceless," she said and waved her hand over Archie to heal him.

Gold turned to Emma and said, "keep the handkerchief, Sheriff," as he left the office. Emma carefully wrapped the handkerchief up and stuffed it into her jeans pocket.

Archie was now taking deep, cleansing breaths and smiled up at Regina, "thank you."

"It's the least I could do," she looked down at him guiltily, "if it wasn't for me this wouldn't have happened to you."

Archie dismissed the thought we a wave of the hand as he stood up, "rather me than you," he said with a smile.

David looked at Emma, "you should probably get Regina back home and keep an eye on her," Regina glared at David and he added, "no offence."

"Yeah, I could do with some socks," Emma said with a pointed look to Regina, "if you don't mind poofing us back?"


	91. Chapter 91

Emma and Regina appeared in the hallway and silently regarding one another. The attack on Archie had been unexpected and a wake-up call to Sidney's state of mind, the inclusion of the red dust was worrying for both of them.

"I'm going to.. finish getting dressed," Emma said with an indication to the stairs.

Regina simply nodded and turned towards the living room.

Emma hesitated for a moment but decided the brunette needed time alone so she walked up the stairs in search of some desperately needed socks. Storybrooke was not the place nor the temperature to be wandering around without socks.

She opened her bedroom door and walks in and immediately knew someone was there with her, she spun around and behind the door stood Sidney. She tried to speak but with a raise of his hand he rendered her mute and found that no matter how hard she screamed at him no words came out.

He chuckled as he pouted at her, "problem, Sheriff?"

He waved his hand and she was pushed backwards until she was sitting on the edge of the bed. He waved his hand again and a barely visible covering appeared across the doorway, it seemed to waver like water and red particles swam throughout it.

Sidney looked back at her and folded his arms as he regarded her with a shake of the head, "sleeping with the enemy, Emma," he sighed, "I've been watching you, you know."

Emma tried to stand up and he waved his hand and she sat back down and found she couldn't move at all and was being forced to sit and look at him. Now she couldn't even open her mouth and she just stared at him with eyes that were wet from frustration.

"Was that the idea all along? Get me out of the way so you could have her for yourself?" Sidney asked with a tilt of the head, "did you think I wouldn't figure it out?"

He laughed manically, "what's wrong? Can't think what to say?"

"Let her go, Sidney," Regina's voice sounded from the hallway where she watched the two while examining the force field in front of her.

"Regina," Sidney breathed as he drank in the sight of her, "oh I've been waiting for this moment."

Regina started to take a step forward and he raised his hand to stop her, "I should let you know, you can move through the field, but if you do you will lose your magic. The red dust is woven into the shield, quite ingenious, I thought," he smiled to her.

Regina paused and looked at Emma who was desperately trying to convey a message with her eyes. Even though Emma couldn't move nor speak Regina instantly knew that Emma was pleading with her to get out but she couldn't do it, she couldn't leave. The older woman's eyes flipped between the two of them as she struggled to work out what to do, her fists clenching at her sides.

Sidney walked over to the bed and sat beside Emma as he regarded Regina who was right in front of them, "I just can't figure out why," he said as he looked at Emma and examined her carefully, "why her?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked him.

"Why are you sleeping with Emma Swan of all people?" Sidney asked her, a hint of pleading laced his tone.

"We're not sleeping together," Regina told him flippantly, "I really don't know where you get your information from, Sidney."

Sidney reached up his hand and ran it through Emma's hair from her temple to the very tips of her long locks, "I suppose I can see some appeal.." he muttered as he shamelessly ogled her.

Regina stepped over the threshold without even thinking and immediately felt her magic leave her body, Sidney looked up at her with a sinister grin, "come to save her?"

"No," Regina said plainly as she thought quickly, "it's you I want," she told him.

He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, probably to deny it but Regina got in first and spoke quickly, "it's true, I'm not sleeping with her, she is living here because of Henry and people have gotten the wrong idea. I couldn't be interested in her, not when I still have unresolved feelings.. for you."

Even the faintest possibility that Regina could be in anyway interest in him immediately through Sidney and he stood up and wrung his hands nervously, "why didn't you come and see me?"

Regina hugged herself protectively and let out a low laugh as she paced the room to put a little more space between herself and Sidney, "you think the Charmings allow me to walk around freely? After what I did?"

Sidney curled his hand into a fist, "you are a prisoner in this town," he understood with anger.

"Of course I wanted to free you after the curse was lifted but," Regina turned to look out of the window, hoping for a Sheriff's car patrolling the street, "I couldn't."

Emma could feel the spell on her weakening and realised that Sidney's attention being distracted was allowing her to move the tips of her fingers and she focused on that feeling.

Regina spun around, "I knew I acted.. rashly," she smiled shyly, "you know what I'm like, Sidney.."

He smiled at her and nodded, "I know, I've always known.."

"When I heard you'd escaped I tried to convince them that I was concerned about what you would do to me," Regina said in a shy and quiet voice as she paced away from the window and passed Sidney again. Emma knew she had to hurry up and get free because the dance Regina was currently doing wasn't going to last forever.

"But really," Regina smiled at him, "I was waiting for you to come and rescue me."

Regina risked a glance to Emma and could see that Sidney's spell was starting to wear off and that the blonde was slowly regaining her mobility, she just needed to distract him a little more.

"I dreamed that you would one day come to your senses," Sidney said as he stepped closer to her, effectively cutting off her escape routes.

"What is it they say?" Regina breathed, "you don't know what you have until it's gone?"

"Oh, Regina," Sidney whispered and stepped closer to her.

Emma could feel the spell weakening by the second and when Sidney's lips came into contact with Regina's she felt the weight from her body lift and she threw herself into him with all her force. He was wrenched away from Regina and Emma quickly straddled him and put her hands around his neck, as he started to gag he managed to wave his hand and she flew backwards into the wall and onto the floor.

She grabbed her gun from her bedside table and pointed it at him but he laughed and it melted into hot molten metal and she dropped it quickly. He held his hand up in a grasping sensation and Emma felt herself being lifted into the air as if his hand was around her neck.

"Sidney, please," Regina said and attempted to touch his arm but he lifted his free hand and she was pushed backwards into the wall.

Sidney walked towards Emma with a menacing look, "I've had enough of you, Emma Swan," he said as she kicked the air uselessly and struggled for breath. When he was right in front of her Emma looked down at him and smiled.

"Something funny?" Sidney questioned her with a confused look.

As she had been lifted off of the floor Emma had quickly gathered something from her pocket and now she threw the red dust coated handkerchief into Sidney's face. The effect was instant and she fell to the floor as Sidney's magic vanished. As he picked the handkerchief off of his face and opened his mouth to speak Emma stood and slammed her fist into his face sending him backwards with a large thud as he fell to the floor.


	92. Chapter 92

"Are you okay?" Emma asked Regina who was starting to get to her feet.

She nodded her head and looked down at Sidney, "is he?"

Emma picked up her handcuffs and turned the limp man over and cuffed his hands behind his back, "what were you thinking?"

Regina looked at the blonde in surprise, "excuse me?"

Emma stood up and looked at Regina as she pointed to the door, "why did you come through that field? You left yourself defenceless!"

Regina opened her mouth to speak but Emma carried on, "and then goading him like that, do you realise what he could have done to you?"

"Emma, I," Regina started but Emma spun around and grabbed her phone and quickly dialled a number.

"David," she said hurriedly, "we have him but I need Gold to come to Regina's house right now. Neither Sidney or Regina has magic but I don't know how long that will last."

Regina stepped over Sidney's still body and stood beside Emma and once she finished the call Regina took her hand and held it softly, "I'm sorry I worried you."

"You have to look after yourself," Emma told her bluntly, "we need you."

Regina smiled as she cupped Emma's face in her hands, "and I need you, that's why I walked in here. I saw Sidney touching you and I just couldn't stand it, something snapped in me and I.."

"Sacrificed yourself," Gold's voice echoed through the room causing them to jump apart, "how sweet," he smiled.

"How did you?" Emma asked as she looked around in confusion.

Gold limped from his position by the window to look down at Sidney, "magic, Miss Swan, I would have thought that was obvious."

He bent down beside Sidney and held his hand over the unconscious man's head and a light passed between them.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"Removing his magic," Gold answered, "or at least restricting his knowledge on how to use it."

Emma looked at Gold and suddenly spoke, "you knew this would happen.. you gave me the handkerchief," she looked at the cloth on the floor.

Gold stood up, "if you're asking me if I assumed that you'd risk your own safety to come between Mister Glass and Regina and would require some form of assistance," he looked at her, "then yes, I knew."

"Emma!" David came racing down the hallway and skidded into the bedroom his eyes quickly taking in the scene, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emma told him, "we're all fine."

"He is ready for you to take to a cell," Gold said and stepped over Sidney's body and brushed past David as he left.

David was still panting for breath, "he disappeared, I was worried what he'd do to Sidney."

Emma nodded, "right now I couldn't care less what he would do.."

David frowned, "are you sure you're okay?"

Before Emma could answer David started to look around the room in surprise before looking at the hallway and back to the room, "this is your room," he said.

Emma frowned and looked around, "yes?"

"No, this is your actual room from the apartment," David said with confusion.

"I moved it," Regina said casually as she looked at Sidney, "and I'd be grateful if you could move him."

Regina turned and left the room without a look back or another word and David looked at Emma, "what happened?"

"He was waiting for me," Emma explained, "he kinda froze me, not like Archie, but I couldn't move. He put a field over the door with the red dust in it and told Regina that if she crossed it she would lose her magic."

"And she crossed it," David said knowingly.

"Yes," Emma shook her head in frustration.

"You would have done the same," David told her.

Emma turned to him to deny it but then closed her mouth again.

"Don't be angry at her for wanting to help you," David said as he walked over to Sidney's body, "we all put ourselves in difficult situations for people we love."

David hauled Sidney up and started to slap his face lightly to bring him around.

Emma stood still as she acknowledged that fact and a smile crept across her face, "yeah, that's true.."

Sidney's eyes started to open and he looked at David and then at Emma and started to struggle until he realised his arms were locked behind him. He closed his eyes as if attempting to summon magic and then opened them again and frowned when he realised nothing had changed.

"Welcome back to being boring," David said as he lifted him to his feet.

"But.." Sidney started.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut," David told him as he roughly led him into the hallway, "I'll speak to you later," David told Emma as he walked Sidney down the stairs.

Emma stood at the top of the stairs and watched David drag Sidney away, she heard Regina's voice call her from one of the rooms and she turned around to seek out the brunette. She poked her head into Grace's room and then turned to look at the master bedroom and hesitantly opened the door.

Regina stood by the window with her arms folded watching Gold, David and Sidney leaving, when she realised that Emma had entered the room she spoke quietly, "I'm sorry if I upset you but I'd do it again."

Emma nodded, "yeah, I know, it's just hard to watch you put yourself in danger like that."

Regina turned to face Emma, "but you were in danger.."

"I know and that's why I understand what you did, I'm not happy about it but I understand it," Emma explained.

"Now the danger has passed," Regina started, "I am going to go to see the Grace and Henry."

"Okay, I'll just get some damn socks on," Emma said.

"No," Regina said and Emma looked at her with hurt on her face as she looked questioningly at Regina's outburst.

"No," Regina said in a softer tone, "you are exhausted, I can see it in your face. You were up most of last night and you only had a few hours' of sleep, I think you should stay here and rest."

Emma opened her mouth to argue but Regina had crossed the room and now turned the blonde around by her shoulders and directed her towards her own bedroom. Suddenly, Emma remembered the morning, "you put me to bed!"

Regina laughed as the entered Emma's room, "I was up early and I noticed your light was on, when I knocked there was no answer so I came in and I saw you had practically passed out with exhaustion."

Regina gently pushed Emma into sitting down on the edge of the bed and crossed the room to the window and closed the blinds, "I put your book on your table and got you into a more comfortable position."

"You put me to bed," Emma repeated with a smile.

"However you wish to phrase it," Regina rolled her eyes as she pulled back the sheets and pointed for Emma to get into the bed, "I want you to catch up on some sleep so you don't look like you're about to pass out."

Emma tucked her legs under the sheets and shifted herself down, "I don't think I'll be able to sleep after all that."

"Well, unfortunately I can't help you at the moment," Regina said with regret, "you'll just have to close your eyes and clear your mind."

"You could join me," Emma looked up at her, "not in.. that.. way," she laughed at Regina's scandalised look, "I.. would just like to hold you.."

Regina hesitated and Emma reiterated, "just hold you."

Regina nodded and moved her hand before wincing and rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"What?" Emma asked.

"No magic," Regina sighed as she kicked off her heels and pulled off her suit jacket and placed the jacket on the end of the bed.

"Yeah, welcome to the world of mortals where you have to undress yourself," Emma laughed.

"Oh please, I had twenty-eight years of that," Regina said as she made a spinning motion with her finger to get Emma to turn onto her side.

"Am I little spoon?" Emma asked as she turned.

"If you refer to me as a ladle you'll be sleeping alone," Regina promised as she got into the bed behind Emma and pulled the sheet up to cover them both.

"But I said I wanted to hold you," Emma protested.

"You get handsy," Regina commented as she pressed her front into Emma's back.

Emma let out an involuntary gasp of pleasure at the sensation and didn't speak as Regina wrapped her arm around Emma's side and gently held her.

"Sleep," Regina commanded.

Emma closed her eyes as she muttered, "bossy.."


	93. Chapter 93

When Emma woke again she was alone. Disorientated she sat up and looked around the room with half-closed eyes until she noticed a piece of paper folded in half beside her mobile phone. She picked it up and unfolded it as she read what she thought would be a note of sweet nothings.

You snore.

She laughed out loud and shook her head as she put the paper back on the bedside cabinet and got out of bed. Her leg began to give way after all the exhaustion of the say and she reached for her crutch and walked over to her dresser and picked out a pair of socks. Edging back to the bed she flopped down and started to put the socks on her feet before they got cold.

Regina opened the door and quickly stepped in with a look of apprehension on her face, "Emma?"

Emma looked up with a smile, "hmm?"

Regina looked relieved, "I heard a noise, I thought something might have happened."

"Oh," Emma laughed, "no I was just reading your beautiful love letter you left me, I laughed, not sure why, you're mean."

Emma focused on putting her other sock on and Regina grinned as she said, "well, it's not snoring as such, more like a.. breathing sound."

"Wow," Emma looked up with humorous incredulity in her tone, "you don't like the sound of me breathing?"

Regina shrugged, "I have telephone Henry and explained the situation to him, he is relieved."

"I bet," Emma said as she stood up and reached for her crutch, "I'm sure he'll be glad to get home and sleep in his own bed."

"Not.. exactly," Regina said with a sigh.

Emma raised her eyebrow, "oh?"

"Apparently they, your parents and Henry, have plans tonight. Some series of films, apparently it's very important and Henry has asked to stay there one more night," Regina shrugged her shoulders, "Mary Margaret insisted that it was fine."

"And Grace?" Emma asked with a frown.

"I spoke to Grace as well," Regina nodded, "she's looking forward to the pot roast and the films, apparently she's never seen the second one."

Emma made a face and Regina grinned, "Mary Margaret and I agreed there is no point in separating them, they can both stay there one more night and we'll get them tomorrow."

"Cool," Emma said as she headed out of the room, "what time is it? I'm starving.."

"It's half past one," Regina said, "I prepared you some lunch."

They walked along the hallway and Emma smiled, "you didn't have to do that.."

"I wanted to," Regina admitted as they got to the stairs. Emma struggled her way down the stairs slowly, one at a time and sighed heavily.

"Too much excitement today," Emma muttered, "I think I've overdone it."

Regina walked slowly behind her, "it would seem so, after lunch you should do your exercises."

Emma moaned at the thought but nodded, "after that I want to go to the station and check in on Sidney."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Regina asked.

"I'm the Sheriff," Emma said, "it's my job."

"Surely your father.." Regina started.

"Its fine," Emma said as she reached the bottom stair, slightly out of breath, "it will help ease my mind to see him behind bars. Then we can figure out what to do with him."

Regina nodded her agreement, "will you be home for dinner?"

"No," Emma said bluntly.

"Oh," Regina said quietly, clearly not expecting Emma's negative answer.

"And neither will you," Emma stated as she continued to walk to the kitchen without turning around to see Regina's expression.

"Oh no?" Regina felt a smile starting to form on her face.

"Well, I can't cook an amazing home cooked meal like you can but I can take you out to a nice restaurant, there's a couple in town," Emma said as she walked into the kitchen and turned to look at Regina with a smile.

"Shouldn't you be inviting me out on a date rather than commanding me?" Regina asked with a grin.

Emma took a step forward and pressed her lips to Regina's softly before pulling back, "consider it payment for saying I snore," she laughed.

"Well, in that case," Regina smiled as she closed the space between them and kissed Emma just as softly. As she pulled back Emma's stomach loudly complained at the lack of nourishment and Regina laughed.

"Hey, I haven't eaten all day," Emma informed the brunette who opened up the fridge and started to remove some items.

"Sit down," Regina nodded towards the dining room table in the kitchen, "I'll take care of this meal and you can take care of the next one."


	94. Chapter 94

Emma had never been in the posh seafood restaurant in Storybrooke, mainly because she had never been on a hot date in Storybrooke. But tonight was different and they didn't get much hotter than Regina Mills. Both women wore black cocktail dresses and both women had spent much longer than usual fixing their hair and makeup before they left. In the hallway at 108 Mifflin Street they both stared at each other hungrily and agreed that any kissing would end up in a making out session on the sofa in the living room and a missed reservation at the restaurant.

Regina drove the Mercedes to the restaurant and they decided to get a taxi home. Their waiter was a former butler of Regina's and treated her like royalty which Emma was grateful for. She often worried that some of the people in Storybrooke would still hold an enormous, and well deserved, grudge against Regina and she was desperate for this night to be as perfect as it could be.

They kept to safe topics, Regina's love of horses, Emma's love of her precious Bug. The meal was perfection but Emma was quick to tell Regina that it wasn't even half as good as Regina's cooking which made Regina sit up a little straighter with pride. Regina admitted, eventually, that Emma didn't snore and that she simple wanted to leave the bed because she was anxious to speak to Henry.

A bottle of wine was quickly demolished and the second was already half finished as the eaten main course plates were removed by the waiter. Once they were alone Regina quietly whispered Emma's name and the blonde looked at her quizzically.

"I'm.. new.. to this dating business," Regina said quietly so only Emma could hear.

"Yes?" Emma asked with slight concern, wondering if she was doing something wrong.

"And I'm wondering," Regina's voice dropped an octave lower, "how many dates is appropriate before taking things to the bedroom?"

Emma flushed bright red with embarrassment and desire, "oh, well, erm.." she stuttered adorably.

"Obviously it's an odd situation for us," Regina said, enjoying Emma's panic, "as we're already living together."

"Yes," Emma admitted readily.

"But, if you're happy to forego dessert," Regina licked her lips as she gently swayed the wine glass in her hand, "then.."

"Yes," Emma squeaked before Regina had a chance to finish the sentence. She stood up and then sat down and looked around for the waiter and he came running to see if everything was okay.

"Can we pay?" Emma said quickly, "soon?"

"Of course," he said and rushed off to get the bill.

"Keen," Regina teased.

"Desperate," Emma admitted quietly, "if I don't touch you soon I'm going to burst."

Regina blushed and Emma swiftly asked, "i-if that's okay? I mean you do want to? It's not the wine is it?"

The waiter placed the bill on a small silver tray on the table and Emma opened her purse and pulled out a handful of notes as she watched Regina's face for any clues.

"Yes, more than okay," Regina answered, "it's not the wine," she reassured.

Emma realised she was paying three times too much for the meal and started to look at what she was doing as Regina raised her hand and called the waiter over again and asked him to get them a taxi.

The bill and the money was taken and they sat in silence, nervously sipping at the wine while they waited for the taxi to arrive. Emma looked distressed and Regina leaned forward, "we don't have to do this if you're not ready?"

"Oh, I'm ready," Emma promised, "I'm just wondering what will go wrong now! There's always an interruption, it's like someone is messing with us!"

Regina laughed, "don't be silly, it will be fine.."

The waiter told them that their taxi had arrived and they gather their coats and bags and left to go on the quickest taxi journey Emma had ever been on. Literally three minutes later they were back at the house but Emma knew those three minutes by car would have been impossible on her feet, especially in heels.

Regina paid the driver and the walked up the path, both attempting to seem casual as Regina unlocked the door with a slightly shaky hand. The second they were in the hallway Emma kicked off her heels and hung up her coat and reached out for Regina's.

"My room or yours?" Emma waggled her eyebrows.

Regina let out a small chuckle as she shook her head, "mine," she said and pulled Emma into a heated kiss. Their tongues clashed and Emma pulled Regina close to her and luxuriated in the feeling of Regina's body pressed up against her own.

Emma pulled away, "we need to get up there now or we'll be doing it here," she promised.

Regina took her hand and led her to the stairs and walked slowly by her side as they headed up the stairs. Emma had insisted on leaving the crutch at home and while Regina thought it was foolish she knew it was important to Emma so she agreed on the provision that the blonde wore very short heels and took everything slowly.

It took a long time to get to the top of the stairs and Emma looked at Regina with a shy smile, "still want me?"

"More than anything," Regina said softly as she took Emma's hand again and led her into the master bedroom.

They both eyed the bed nervously as previous worries resurfaced and they both felt the pressure of the situation grow.

"Fuck it," Emma muttered as she grabbed Regina's face and pulled her in for a deep kiss. Regina's eyes flew wide open at the passion in the kiss and the surprise of Emma grabbing her so suddenly. She quickly caught up and before long they were both sharing fast, open-mouthed kisses as they ran their hands over each other's bodies.

Emma pulled back, "too many clothes," she mumbled as she sat Regina on the edge of the bed and pulled her heels off. It was then that she noticed Regina was wearing stockings and suspenders and she felt her clit twitch at the image.

"May I?" Emma asked as she started to move Regina dress up and Regina bit her bottom lip as she nodded.

Emma moved the dress up just enough to reveal the fastenings of the stockings and slowly wrapped her hand around Regina's upper thigh to undo the clasps, once all were released on one leg she gently rolled down one stocking and threw it over her shoulder.

Regina's cheeks looked flushed and Emma was relieved that the brunette was just as affected as she was. She leaned up and kissed Regina hard before focusing her attention on the other stocking and bringing that down the toned leg to join its pair on the floor.

Emma looked up at Regina with a smile which was returned for a moment until suddenly Regina winced and her head fell back onto the bed.

"Regina?!" Emma cried out.

"I'm fine," Regina breathed, "it was just a surprise.."

"What was?" Emma asked, still in a panic.

"My magic is back," she said with a smile. As if to prove it she snapped her fingers and her black cocktail dress vanished and instead she wore black and red lace panties and a bra.

Emma groaned with pleasure at the sight and felt a rush of wetness to her core and was pleased when she could see a slightly dark patch of material in the same place of Regina's panties. Emma quickly grabbed the side zip and yanked down her own dress to reveal her own white lace-trimmed panties and bra.

"Black and white," Regina murmured, "we really are the Evil Queen and the Saviour."

"You're not evil," Emma said as she straddled Regina's hips and brought her body down on top of the brunette, "you're perfect."

Emma started to kiss Regina's neck and Regina whispered, "Emma.."

"Mmm?" Emma asked, not wanting to be too distracted from the task at hand.

"Emma," Regina started again, "I do.. I do love you, you know.."

"I know," Emma said as she started to kiss, suck, lick and bite her way down Regina's chest.

"You know?" Regina asked in between gasps.

"You've showed me with your actions," Emma looked up with a smile, "I realise that now.."

"I'm glad I didn't spoil anything by.." Regina started.

"Please stop talking," Emma pleaded, "I really wanna have sex and if we talk then something will go wrong."

Regina laughed loudly and pulled Emma down into a passionate kiss.

They explored each other's bodies with their hands and their tongues, taking their time to learn each other's pleasure points and ticklish zones. As they rolled around on the bed, hands massaged through the thin scraps of underwear material but nothing else until both were practically begging to be touched.

Suddenly Regina sat up on her knees and faced Emma who sat up in a similar position, with lust-hooded eyes Regina grabbed Emma's hand and rested it on her stomach with fingers pointing downwards before sliding the blonde's hand into her panties.

Emma felt the heat and the wetness and gasped softly at the sensation while Regina moaned loudly and threw her head back with bliss. With one hand in Regina's panties and exploring her wetness and her folds, Emma grabbed Regina's hand in a similar manner and pushed it into her own panties.

They edged closer on their knees until they were right in front of each other and leaned forward simultaneously to kiss. They both explored each other's folds and elicited gasps, moans and cries of pleasure from their partner, sounds that were promptly covered by a wet kiss.

Emma decided to get down to business and lifted her fingers to graze over Regina's clit and was rewarded with the brunette bucking violently in pleasure and letting out a long, happy moan.

"Go inside me," Emma whispered to Regina.

"H-how many?" Regina asked.

"Two, at least," Emma watched as Regina squirmed in satisfaction, "any requests?"

"K-keep doing t-that," Regina stammered through moans of pleasure.

Emma dipped some more wetness onto her finger and set about a steady motion around Regina's clit. Regina seemed to be struggling to keep upright but shook her head softly to bring herself back to the present and twisted two fingers through Emma's folds to ensure they were covered before gently entering Emma with them.

"Oh!" Emma cried as she tipped her head back, "oh, GOD!"

Regina started a regular, slow rhythm from her fingers being buried as deep as she could inside Emma all the way to just the tips of her fingertips before starting the process again.

They both maintained their roles despite the other whimpering or moaning loudly and suddenly Emma was coming with a loud cry, "Regina!"

Emma's movements on Regina's clit were suddenly shaky but Regina didn't care as she brought her hand around Emma's slim waist to hold her upright while she continued gently pumping her fingers in and out of the blonde to guide her through her orgasm.

"Regina, Regina, Regina, oh, God, yes, yes, don't.. oh God, don't stop," Emma chanted as her walls contracted around Regina's fingers. At the end she fell forward to rest on Regina's upright body and put her chin on the brunette's shoulder while she panted for breath as Regina removed her hand from the blonde's panties.

After a few moments Emma's hand found its rhythm again and as Emma knelt up properly again she saw Regina's eyes rolling back in her head, the sight of seeing Emma have such an impressive orgasm as well as the feelings on her clit were definitely having the right effect.

Emma wrapped her other arm around Regina and started to kiss and lick at the sensitive spot below Regina's neck that she had discovered during their earlier explorations. Regina whimpered in desire and twitched and Emma knew she was on the right track. After a while Regina cried out loudly and wrapped both arms around Emma and held the blonde tightly to her body as she shook in soft convulsions and whispered Emma's name into Emma's shoulder.

Regina leaned heavily on Emma with utter exhaustion and Emma removed her hand from Regina's panties and gently guided them both into a laying down position.

"Wow," Regina breathed.

"Yeah," Emma agreed.

"I think we got the hang of it," Regina said huskily, her voice still sore from the vocalisations.

"Yup," Emma said, "maybe we could go again? This time without our underwear on..?"


	95. Chapter 95

**Six months later**

David stood by the outdoor grill cooking stacks of burgers and sausages while enjoying a cold beer that his daughter had brought him. Belle walked up to him with a smile, "they put you to work, eh?"

"I offered," he said with a wide smile, "quieter over here," he winked to the young brunette who was beginning to show and had a hand covering her slightly protruding belly.

Belle looked around the garden of 108 Mifflin Street with a nod, "yes, it looks like the whole of Storybrooke is here!"

David looked around, "not far off, seems Emma invited everyone to Grace's birthday."

Belle looked over at Emma who was sat on a picnic blanket with her sunglasses on with her arms stretched out as Grace toddled her way towards her with Henry crouching behind the young girl to ensure she didn't fall.

"Is everything okay with Emma?" Belle asked quietly, "she seemed a bit distracted when I spoke to her earlier."

"Yeah," David nodded, "she just wants everything to go right today, big day!"

"You only turn one once," Belle said.

"Here you are," Gold said as he approached the two by the grill.

"By the food," Belle smiled.

David couldn't help but stare at Gold who was wearing black jeans and a crisp, white short-sleeved shirt. The man almost looked normal and not like the malevolent imp who had caused all the problems.

"Ah, of course," Gold said as he smiled at his wife, "can I get you anything?"

"Stop fussing," she told him with a smile and batted his chest lightly with the back of her hand.

David noticed a heavily pregnant Mary Margaret waddling towards them and quickly handed Belle a burger in a bun, "quick, save yourself," he whispered and the loving couple inconspicuously rushed away.

"David," Mary Margaret whined.

"Yes, my love?" David asked with a grin.

"Something is going on with Emma and she won't tell me what," she complained as she rubbed her lower back distractedly.

"I'm sure it's nothing," David said with a shrug.

Mary Margaret's eyes narrowed as she looked at him with shock, "you know," she picked up a spare grill barbeque fork and held it like a weapon, "spill or I'll be a single mother."

David held his hands in the air, the hormones hadn't worn off after a few more weeks as he had hoped and now he spent every day hoping that their due baby would hurry up and arrive.

"You can't say a word," David said in a whisper as he looked around the garden in the hope that no one had seen them. He needn't have worried, even if someone had seen they wouldn't intervene, Mary Margaret's hormones were now legendary in Storybrooke.

"Speak," she said firmly.

"Snow, why are you pointing that thing at your husband," Regina's voice sounded and David let out a sigh of relief at the only person brave enough to confront his pregnant wife. He quickly shook his head at Mary Margaret in the hope of conveying a message that Regina was absolutely not to know whatever was going on.

"Just a.. game," she said sweetly, "you know," she jabbed the fork into his belly twice, "stab stab."

"I sincerely hope Emma doesn't inherit any of those more violent genes," Regina said with raised eyebrows as she turned to David, "I'm nearly finished in the kitchen, shall we serve the food in, say, ten minutes?"

David looked at the state of the art grill and heater and nodded, "sounds great," he smiled ridiculously widely and Regina looked from Snow to David and then shook her head and turned away.

When she was a safe distance David looked at Mary Margaret who was beaming so much she looked like her face might explode.

"Snow.." he warned, "don't say anything.."

"Oh," she said with bright, wide eyes.

"It's got to be a secret," he pleaded.

"My," she put the fork down and started quietly clapping her hands together with excitement.

"Just, you know, play it cool, okay?" David begged.

"God!" Mary Margaret squealed before she turned to look into the distance at Emma with a hungry and desperate glare as she whispered through clenched teeth, "wedding."

Emma looked at her with a confused tilt of the head and then a fearful expression before she looked at David who looked apologetic and shrugged. Suddenly Emma leapt to her feet, "watch your sister," she told Henry and ran into the house.

Katherine, Granny, Ruby and Regina were busy in the kitchen as Emma came skidding in, "Regina!"

Regina turned around with concern etched on her face, "what is it?"

"I need to talk to you," Emma said as she looked out of the door and saw a massively pregnant Mary Margaret waddling towards the house while clapping her hands together and occasionally squeezing.

"Now?" Regina asked impatiently as she looked at the food being prepared.

"Yes!" Emma cried, "right now," and grabbed Regina's hand and dragged her through the hallway and into the living room.

"Emma? What's going on?" Regina demanded as Emma began to turn a deep shade of red and was even trembling, "you're shaking!"

"Regina," Emma announced formally, "I," she stopped and quickly lowered herself onto one knee, "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina said with a frown, "now get up and come and help with the food."

"I mean I really love you, more than anything," Emma said as she reached into her pocked and fumbled with something, "and I.. I.."

Realisation dawned on Regina and her eyes flew wide open and she hesitantly asked, "Emma?"

"Will you marry me?" Emma asked as she held up a ring, "please say yes.."

"Emma," Regina breathed, "are you sure?"

"More sure than anything," Emma said, "we've lived together for the last seven months and I have never been happier, I know some people may think it's too soon but I know this is right. We live together, we've both got joint custody of Henry and we're a family."

Regina's eyes filled with tears as she looked down at Emma speechlessly.

"Please answer soon because my mother just found out I'm asking you and she is literally about to come in here like a thing possessed," Emma winced.

"Yes, of course, yes," Regina said quickly and Emma jumped up and threw her arms around Regina and held her tightly.

"In fact," Regina said as she pulled her girlfriend off of her and held her face in front of her own, "I also had something special to ask you today.."

Emma stared at her in tear soaked questioning and Regina continued, "you're right, we are a family, I wanted you to have joint custody of Grace with me."

Emma gasped, "but.."

"No buts," Regina said, "you are wonderful with her and we both love her like she is our daughter so it is only right that we make it official. I want you to be her mother."

Emma nodded as tears started to fall down her face, "yes, yes, of course, yes.."

Mary Margaret appeared in the hallway, frantic from chasing her daughter and turned to regard the two women who were standing in the living room hugging and crying. Mary Margaret burst into tears and walked towards them with her arms outstretched while loudly bawling.

Regina and Emma opened up their hug and accepted the pregnant woman into the hug and Regina smiled over Mary Margaret's head at Emma who mouthed an apology to the brunette.

"What's going on?" Ruby cried as she ran into the hallway, "I heard a noise?"

Mary Margaret turned around, "they're getting married," she exclaimed before turning back to the hug and bawling with happiness again.

"Mom?" Henry appeared with Grace in his arms and froze when he saw Ruby looking at the three crying women, "Mom?"

"Everything's fine, Henry," Regina told him quickly.

"Why are you all crying?" Henry asked with a panicked face.

"We're happy, happy tears," Emma confirmed.

Mary Margaret turned around again, "they're getting married," she told Henry through a big, wet, smile.

"Mommy," Grace babbled and clapped her hands as Henry stared at them in shock, "for real?"

"Fo sho," Regina grinned.

"Don't do that, Darling," Emma told her, Regina's need to be young and cool for Henry was rapidly turning into an embarrassing issue.

David ran into the hallway and saw the scene, he looked at Emma, "did she?"

"No, I got here in time," she said.

He sighed a sigh of relief, "and did she?"

"She said yes," Emma smiled, "I'm getting married."

"They're getting married," Mary Margaret said with a smile to her husband.

"Yes," David agreed, "now let's get the food served and give them some peace."

David and Ruby herded Mary Margaret, Henry and Grace out of the room and Emma and Regina looked at each other and smiled.

"Your mother better have that bloody baby soon," Regina laughed.

"Yeah, I can't take it anymore," Emma agreed, "but I was panicking so it's good it brought my plans forward a bit, I'm relieved now it's done."

"Emma Mills," Regina smiled.

"Er, no, Regina Swan," Emma corrected.

"We'll let Grace choose," Regina laughed as she leaned in and kissed Emma lovingly.

**THE END**

* * *

><p>Thank you to everyone who read, commented, messaged or blogged about this story. I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of support I have had throughout writing Reset.<p>

In my own version of a tacky Oscar acceptance speech I want to thank some people who have been particularly supportive along the way.

Firstly, Riellebrat and Violetscentedwriter who have both given advice on plot and direction of the story, yes I ignored them sometimes but their input was invaluable – thank you both.

Secondly, reviewers, I think all writers will say that one of their biggest motivations are the reviews. I'm very lucky to have so many reviewers and I thank each and every one of you who has left a review or sent me a message about this story.

However there are a few, quite a few of you, who leave many messages and you guys are the best and I want to say thank you to you in particular.. so..

From thank you to, Anne the Fire, LOCISVU, Lovely1pyt, Pinkpillow19, Hope6968, BlueTigress, Transylvanian, RachelBarbraBerry, SQVortex, AnotherOUATWriter, ShipHappens, MadameMayorRM, TheSwedishMystery, stawbl, Bananalestrange, kate13118, MayP, MiDushiNoSuhsi, SMFirefly and shadybitch.

And from AO3 thank you do, kea, Jude81, BladedDarkness, captnaimerica, jetboo, ruby1108, geekykitsch, LittleHaven, GvMeOneReSn, serahhaggerty, mrswoman, lesbonicwoman, RogueAngel

And on Tumblr, forgotmysafeword, headto, iamheartless, rhregal, generous-infatuation, n3v3r-mnd, meansomething


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